Source:  POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 9/6/22

Doug McKalip, the nominee for chief agricultural negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative office will likely advance from the Senate Finance Committee when they meet on Wednesday.

It's been a long time coming for ag-watchers and traders, who have lamented the vacancy in the office since the beginning of the Biden administration. Biden’s first nominee for the position, Elaine Trevino, failed to advance after being nominated for six months .

Who is McKalip?: A 29-year veteran of the USDA, McKalip currently serves as a senior adviser to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. Before that, he was a senior advisor in Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the senior policy adviser for rural affairs at the White House domestic policy council and a number of other policy positions at USDA.

His selection to the USTR position was lauded by ag groups, and he has even received praise from a number of Republicans who are eager to fill the position.
Fun fact: McKalip is also in a band called BoxCartel, which plays in the D.C. area and released a new album in April.

The long game: McKalip is expected to easily advance through the committee and will then be eligible for a confirmation vote on the Senate floor.

But even if he is confirmed, it likely won’t end congressional quarrels with his likely boss, USTR Katherine Tai, over the administration’s seeming lack of appetite for trade deals. The Biden administration and Tai have emphasized enforcing existing trade deals before striking new ones — which has invoked the ire of the GOP and ag groups seeking expanded markets for U.S. ag.