Biden nominates former Clinton White House counsel for Deputy U.S. Trade Representative

President Joe Biden has nominated Nelson Cunningham to serve as Deputy United States Trade Representative.

Cunningham receives the nomination while serving as the President Emeritus of McLarty Associates, a global strategy firm he co-founded in 1998. He previously served in the Clinton White House as General Counsel for the Office of Administration and then as Special Advisor to the President for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Cunningham also served as General Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee under then-Chairman Joe Biden (D-DE) and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

After graduation from Stanford Law School, Cunningham clerked for The Honorable James Hunter III on the Third Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, after which he moved on to serve as an Associate at the law firm Hale and Dorr.

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. 

“I applaud President Biden’s nomination of Nelson Cunningham to serve as Deputy United States Trade Representative. With a distinguished career in the public and private sectors, Mr. Cunningham brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. His deep understanding of foreign policy and international trade issues makes him an excellent choice to serve as Deputy USTR. I am confident that Mr. Cunningham’s experience and acumen will allow him to effectively advance strategic U.S. trade policy goals on the world stage,” Warner said. 

The Office of the United States Trade Representative negotiates directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, to resolve disputes and to participate in global trade policy organizations. The individual also meets with governments, business groups, legislators and public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and to discuss the president’s trade policy positions.