"My goal is to actively involve House Members and Senators from both sides of the aisle in the trade agenda. Justin’s work on Capitol Hill and his successes in the private sector have demonstrated his effectiveness in working with Congress," said Portman. "We intensively consult with Congress on a bipartisan basis, and I know Justin will continue to prioritize this important communication between USTR and Capitol Hill."

Justin McCarthy – Assistant USTR for Congressional Affairs

In this role, Mr. McCarthy will now be responsible for overseeing Congressional consultations and outreach. Mr. McCarthy first joined the USTR team last fall to head up domestic outreach efforts to state and local governments, the business and agricultural communities, labor, environmental and consumer groups and advancing USTR priorities at external events.

Since 2003, Mr. McCarthy has served as Director of Government Relations for Pfizer. Prior to that, he was Assistant Director of Government Relations (2001-2003). During his time at Pfizer, Mr. McCarthy was responsible for international trade, intellectual property and tax issues. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Mr. McCarthy served as Co-Chair of the Business Coalition for U.S.-Central America Trade which was charged with ensuring Congressional approval of DR-CAFTA.

Before joining Pfizer, Mr. McCarthy was Legislative Director for Mayer, Brown & Platt's international trade practice (1998-2001). Mr. McCarthy also served on the staff of Representative Thomas W. Ewing (R-IL) where he handled trade and tax issues (1995-1998).

Mr. McCarthy earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Stonehill College.

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