On Tuesday, US trade representative Ron Kirk announced his resignation and plans to step down in February. No successor was immediately named although a couple international economic policy aides are said to be frontrunners.
"From bringing home new trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama and negotiating to open up new markets for American businesses to cracking down on unfair trade practices around the world, he has been a tremendous advocate for the American worker," President Obama said in a statement.
The American Iron and Steel Institute president and CEO Thomas Gibson commented: "Ambassador Kirk is a dedicated public servant who helped lead US trade policy at a critical time in the progression of our nation's trade agenda. The steel industry has appreciated his advocacy in the expansion of rules-based trade, which so profoundly affects our businesses, employees and communities. By bringing an unprecedented number of WTO cases, he strongly championed US interests and focused on American jobs. We especially congratulate him on his success at the WTO regarding China's violations of its WTO obligations when it limited exports of certain critical raw materials to protect its own manufacturers. This was a hard-fought and well-deserved victory, and one for which the steel industry will always be grateful. It was a great honor to work with Ambassador Kirk and we wish him well in his future successes."