Trump trade czar now in place, wins Senate vote, sets up NAFTA process

Alexander Panetta, The Associated Press</span>
Published Thursday, May 11, 2017 1:28PM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, May 11, 2017 2:30PM EDT

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump's trade czar has achieved his long-awaited confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The upper chamber has voted with a large bipartisan majority to approve Robert Lighthizer.

The vote comes after months of procedural wrangling -- mostly over parliamentary rules, but to a lesser extent over trade principles.

This will allow the administration to kickstart the NAFTA renegotiation process.

With a U.S. trade representative in place, the administration can soon file a 90-day notice with Congress, work with it on U.S. negotiating priorities, and start talks with Canada and Mexico later this year.

The president has told an interview with The Economist magazine that he wants big changes to NAFTA -- not just big, but "massive."

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