WASHINGTON, DC - Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Benjamin L. Cardin issued the following response today after President Bush nominated Trade Representative Rob Portman to be the next Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):

“The appointment of Rob Portman as the new OMB Director is an excellent choice and one that I applaud. Rob has a deep knowledge of the many serious budgetary challenges facing our nation. He also understands the importance of bipartisanship. He will be an enormous asset as OMB Director.

"In his new position, Rob will have an opportunity to significantly affect the entire federal government. As the Director of OMB, Rob will bring his talent and insight to dealing with the federal budget deficit - a problem that seriously threatens our nation’s economic strength and vitality. I look forward to working with him as Director of OMB.

“Today I had the chance to speak with Ambassador Susan Schwab, a fellow Marylander, and welcome her as the nominee to be the next U.S. Trade Representative.  I look forward to working with her. Ambassador Schwab brings more than a generation of experience to this post, from the Office of Senator Jack Danforth, to senior positions with Motorola in Washington and Chicago, to her most recent position as Dean of the Public Policy School of the University of Maryland, College Park.

“This is a vital time for U.S. trade policy and Ambassador Schwab will need to draw on her wealth of experience to confront the many challenges facing our great nation.  As they stand now, negotiations in the WTO are a year behind schedule and the need for progress is more critical than ever.  We cannot allow these negotiations to falter.  We must be fair, but firm, and strengthen the enforcement of existing trade agreements.  Meetings this week with the Chinese President present a golden opportunity for USTR and the Administration to do just that, and achieve overdue results on Chinese currency manipulation, intellectual property rights violations, industrial subsidies and other critical areas.” 

                                                                                             ##