Senate Confirms Carlos Gutierrez as Secretary of Commerce
By voice vote, the U.S. Senate today confirmed the nomination of Carlos A. Gutierrez to be the next Secretary of Commerce. While a number of Senators heaped praise on the nominee, several Senators expressed their objections to various aspects of U.S. trade policy. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) raised concerns over OFAC's recent decision to reinterpret the Trade Sanctions Reform Act (TSRA) provisions relating to the payment of sales of agricultural products to Cuba. He also expressed his disapproval over the amount of resources used by OFAC to enforce the U.S. travel restrictions on Cuba.