Acting Assistant USTR for Labor Named
As Josh Kagan leaves as assistant U.S. trade representative for labor, USTR Katherine Tai announced that Katy Mastman will replace him in an acting capacity. Tai said, "Josh’s leadership has been instrumental in our successful use of the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism and work to eradicate forced labor in supply chains."
Mastman is chief negotiator for labor provisions in trade agreements and shapes recommendations on how countries are adhering to worker rights requirements in trade preference programs. She is the top USTR representative on the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, which selects firms for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act's entity list. She came from the Department of Labor, where she was deputy director of the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs in the International Labor Affairs Bureau.