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2.5. U.S. trade policy formulation also benefits from contributions from the private sector and civil society through various advisory bodies, and also from outreach of the TPSC though public hearings and requests for input through the Federal Register. USTR, through its Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, has the main oversight and coordination of 26 advisory bodies. These bodies function pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974 and are organized on sectoral or policy themes, e.g. agriculture, industry, environment, labor, and Africa. (...)

2.6. (...) despite the rationale behind Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) for an expedited and unedited version of an agreement passing through Congress, there have been recent cases where Congress has intervened, in particular in the recent USMCA, whereby negotiations were necessary between the Administration and Congress to amend certain provisions on labor, environment, intellectual property rights (IPRs), and enforcement. (...)

2.8. U.S. trade policy is currently undergoing a shift, and 2021 was a year of transition as the Administration pursues its Build Back Better agenda (Section 2.2.2.1). In the first outline of its trade policy agenda in March 2021, the Administration highlighted the following nine main themes: (i) tackling the COVID 19 pandemic and restoring the economy; (ii) putting workers at the center of trade policy; (iii) putting the world on a sustainable environment and climate path; (...)

2.10. (...). In her opening speech for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), the USTR stressed the United States' commitment to the WTO. (...) She encouraged Members to engage in conversations about the role of the WTO in development, the risks of widening inequality, fundamental worker rights and employment, and the role of trade to be part of the solution in addressing climate change, (...)

2.12. (...). The Administration has also stated that it is seeking to use trade policy tools with African partners to promote investment, equitable and inclusive development, and sustainable trade. (...)

2.15. The United States and the European Union announced their intention to negotiate the world's first carbon-based sectoral arrangement on steel and aluminum trade by October 2023. As a first step, the two parties reached an interim agreement on aluminum and steel tariffs, and agreed to further cooperation on non-market excess capacity, trade enforcement, and customs issues).

2.16. (...) The United States is a party to a number of plurilateral initiatives or agreements under the WTO (...) and more recently has joined a number of the Joint Statement Initiatives (domestic regulation, e-commerce, and trade and environmental sustainability). (...)

2.22. (...) the United States continued to have ongoing dialogues with FTA partners on implementation matters, labor and environment provisions, and other matters relating to the smooth functioning of the agreements. Negotiations towards new FTAs were announced or launched in recent years with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Kenya, but have not been completed to date (July 2022). (...)

[United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)]
2.24. (...)The USMCA also brought labor and environmental obligations into the core of the Agreement, making the provisions fully enforceable and subject to updated dispute resolution mechanisms. (...)

[Amendments to the FTAs with the Republic of Korea and with Morocco]
2.26. In 2017, the United States launched discussions with the Republic of Korea to amend or modify the FTA that entered into force in 2012. (...) In March 2018, an agreement was reached that entered into force on 1 January 2019. The new agreement includes amendments to the original, as well as amendments to side letters, including the following provisions: (...) (vi) clarification of methodologies for testing regarding emissions regulations; (...)