WASHINGTON – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released the following statement after the United States Senate confirmed María L. Pagán as Deputy United States Trade Representative (Geneva Office):
“There is no better person to serve as USTR’s representative in Geneva right now than María Pagán. This job requires an ability to negotiate effectively, tell hard truths, and bring together diverse coalitions around shared values and ideals to advance U.S. economic and strategic interests. María has demonstrated all of these capabilities throughout her distinguished career.
“María’s experience will be a major asset in Geneva as the world considers how to drive the World Trade Organization and the global trading system to better serve the needs of workers, families and open, competitive economies while also defending the values of the free world. I congratulate María on her confirmation and look forward to working together as she takes on this new and exciting position.”
Biographical Information:
María Luisa Pagán, Deputy United States Trade Representative (Geneva Office)
María L. Pagán has spent almost three decades as a trade lawyer in the U.S. government. Before her confirmation, she served as the Deputy General Counsel at the Office of the United States Trade Representative. In that role, she provided legal advice to senior USTR officials on all legal aspects regarding trade negotiations, implementation of trade agreements, and trade related legislation and regulations. She has been the lead U.S. attorney for numerous trade agreement negotiations. She was the lead lawyer for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, handling the legal aspects of the negotiation, as well as the implementation package that passed Congress in early 2020.
Before becoming Deputy General Counsel, she specialized in providing legal advice on services, government procurement, and the section 421 country-specific safeguard, and also litigated several disputes before the WTO defending the interests of U.S. workers and producers.
Prior to joining USTR in 2003, Ms. Pagán worked as an attorney advisor in the Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Ms. Pagán was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and resides in Maryland. She received her law degree and a Master’s in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a B.A. from Tufts University.
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