Senate committee to consider Obama trade nominations
September 07, 2011 | 10:16 PM | Filed in: Trade
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced today that his committee will hold a confirmation hearing Monday on the nominations of two administration trade officials — Michael Punke and Islam Siddiqui — who are serving under recess appointments, and David Johanson, a long-time Senate agriculture trade aide to the International Trade Commission.
Early in his presidency, President Barack Obama nominated Punke to be deputy U.S. trade representative, posted at the U.S. mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and Siddiqui to be chief agriculture negotiator. The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved those nominations and sent them to the full Senate, but Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., placed a hold on them in an effort to push the administration to pressure Canada to repeal parts of an anti-smoking law Bunning believed disadvantaged Kentucky tobacco.
In early 2010, Obama gave recess appointments to Punke and Siddiqui, but those appointments would expire at the end of this calendar year.
Punke, a Montanan, is a former Baucus aide and also served in the Clinton administration. Siddiqui was senior trade adviser in the Clinton administration and later vice president for science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America.
Johanson has been a member of the Finance committee Republican staff since 2003.
Early in his presidency, President Barack Obama nominated Punke to be deputy U.S. trade representative, posted at the U.S. mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and Siddiqui to be chief agriculture negotiator. The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved those nominations and sent them to the full Senate, but Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., placed a hold on them in an effort to push the administration to pressure Canada to repeal parts of an anti-smoking law Bunning believed disadvantaged Kentucky tobacco.
In early 2010, Obama gave recess appointments to Punke and Siddiqui, but those appointments would expire at the end of this calendar year.
Punke, a Montanan, is a former Baucus aide and also served in the Clinton administration. Siddiqui was senior trade adviser in the Clinton administration and later vice president for science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America.
Johanson has been a member of the Finance committee Republican staff since 2003.
