As the Trump administration and 119th Congress continue their work, the California Chamber of Commerce is communicating its international trade priorities and concerns to federal officials.
Those officials include the newly sworn in secretaries of Treasury, Commerce and Agriculture, and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), in addition to California members of Congress.
Below are brief biographies of the department secretaries and USTR, and a recap of CalChamber trade priorities and concerns.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Secretary Bessent is a hedge fund manager, Wall Street veteran, and former colleague of George Soros. He has been described as pro-tariff, with President Donald Trump saying, “He will support my policies that will drive U.S. competitiveness and stop unfair trade imbalances.” Bessent graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in political science.
U.S Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
Secretary Lutnick is a billionaire investor and longtime Wall Street CEO, former chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Group. He studied at Haverford College in Pennsylvania with a B.A. in economics and is a big supporter of technology and crypto currencies. Lutnick has been a large part of President Trump’s transition team and a staunch supporter of his tariff plan.
U.S Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins
Secretary Rollins previously served as deputy general counsel, ethics adviser and policy director to Texas Governor Rick Perry. Rollins was the president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based conservative think tank. She graduated from Texas A& M University with a B.S. in agricultural development and earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer
Ambassador Greer is an attorney, veteran and former chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative in the first Trump administration. Greer has worked in private law firms, specializing in trade law.
The Ambassador previously represented U.S. Steel in a lawsuit against China and was involved in trade talks about the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) during his tenure as USTR chief of staff. Greer was an officer in the U.S. Air Force, serving in Iraq. He holds a B.A. in international relations from Brigham Young University and master’s degrees in law from both Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
CalChamber Trade Priorities and Concerns
In a letter to the secretaries and USTR, the California Chamber of Commerce emphasizes that it is committed to supporting a free trade agenda that fosters economic growth and job creation — and opposes protectionist measures, which disrupt global supply chains, raise consumer prices, and hinder the competitiveness of California businesses.
The letter points out that a focus on trade agreements instead will ultimately lower both tariff and non-tariff barriers and help create long-term, sustainable economic growth.
While strategic use of tariffs or the threat of tariffs may be a meaningful negotiation tool, the reality of tariffs would be quite different. Raising tariffs results in higher prices to the consumer for the specific product protected and in limited choices of products for consumers. Further, increased tariffs cause a net loss of jobs in related industries, retaliation by U.S. and California trading partners, and violate the spirit of our trade agreements.
The CalChamber instead seeks commercially meaningful outcomes in negotiations with regions around the world and supports bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements which are critical to consumers, workers, businesses, farmers and ranchers, and would allow the United States to compete with other countries that are already negotiating agreements with each other.
California is the fifth largest economy in the world with a gross state product of nearly $4 trillion. In 2023, California exported close to $180 billion to 227 foreign economies. Its top trade partners are the same as the United States: Mexico, Canada and China.
International trade and investment are a major part of the economic engine for the state of California that broadly benefits businesses, communities, consumers and state government. California’s economy is more diversified than ever before, and the state’s prosperity is tied to exports and imports of both goods and services by California-based companies, to exports and imports through California’s transportation gateways, and to inflows and outflows of human and capital resources.
The CalChamber, in keeping with longstanding policy, supports expansion of international trade and investment, fair and equitable market access for California products abroad, and elimination of disincentives that impede the international competitiveness of California business.
Staff Contact: Susanne T. Stirling
