Trade Groups Ask White House to Make Concrete Proposal on Appellate Body

Ten trade groups, all typically Republican allies, sent a letter to the White House and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer asking that America submit a proposal for reforming the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body, with the offer that if it were adopted, the U.S. would stop blocking appointments to that body. While the administration has been clear about its concerns on how the appeals process is conducted, it has not offered a specific solution. The Oct. 23 letter also defended the dispute settlement system at the WTO, saying, "Since the United States is the world’s largest trading nation and the second-largest exporter, it has been one of the major beneficiaries of the WTO process."