Senate unanimously confirms Katherine Tai as U.S. trade representative
CBSN
Washington — The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai as the top U.S. trade envoy in an unanimous bipartisan vote on Wednesday. She will be the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold the position.
Tai is considered a problem-solving pragmatist, and her nomination by President Biden to be U.S. trade representative drew support from Democrats and Republicans alike. She was confirmed on a 98-0 vote and is the 19th member of Mr. Biden's Cabinet to clear the Senate. A former trade negotiator and congressional staffer, Tai has vowed to work for a U.S. trade policy that benefits ordinary workers, not just big corporations, and to work more closely with America's allies to confront an increasingly assertive China.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.