Ambassador Rob Portman was appointed United States Trade Representative by President George W. Bush on April 29, 2005 and was sworn into office on May 17, 2005 by Andrew H. Card, Jr, Chief of Staff to President Bush.  Previously he served as a Representative of the Second District of Ohio in the United States Congress.

During his time in Congress, Amb. Portman served as the Chairman of the House Republican Leadership and was the liaison between the House Leadership and the White House. He was also a prolific legislator known for reaching across the aisle to achieve results. As a Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and its Subcommittee on Trade, he has been involved with trade issues and legislation for years. He also served as Vice Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Among other international meetings and conferences, he attended the Seattle WTO Ministerial in 1999.

Amb. Portman’s specific legislative successes include authoring the law to curtail unfunded federal mandates; the first comprehensive reform of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 50 years (adding over 50 new taxpayer rights); four laws to reduce substance abuse and its consequences through prevention and education; and three laws to encourage people to save more for retirement.

Prior to his serving in Congress, Amb. Portman was an associate in the Washington law firm of Patton Boggs from 1984-1986, where he specialized in international trade law. He worked as an associate and then a partner at the law firm of Graydon, Head and Ritchey from 1986-1989 and 1991-1993 in Cincinnati. He served in the first Bush White House from 1989-1991 as Associate Counsel to the President and later as Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.