Robert Lighthizer is the United States trade representative, a position he has held since May 2017. An experienced trade negotiator and litigator who brings a history of tough US trade enforcement, he was most recently a partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he practiced international trade law for over 30 years. Before joining Skadden, Lighthizer served as deputy United States trade representative for President Reagan. Prior to that, he was chief of staff of the US Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Bob Dole, and a key player in enacting the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981.