Ep. 14 – WITA’s Friday Exchange: U.S. Trade Update – Ongoing Negotiations and Tariffs at 2025 Fall ITS

Peter E. Harrell is a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown’s Institute of International Economic Law. Harrell has had a diverse career across both the public and private sectors and currently serves as an attorney advising companies and investors on international legal, regulatory, and geopolitical risks, including economic sanctions and trade compliance matters. As a Visiting Scholar, Harrell’s research agenda focuses on the future of U.S. trade law and policy and the global trading order.

From January 2021 through 2022, Harrell served at the White House as Senior Director for International Economics, jointly appointed to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. In that role, Harrell led White House initiatives to secure U.S. supply chains for critical products, worked on international digital and telecommunications policy and negotiations, served as the White House representative to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and led policy processes to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

From 2015 to early 2021, Harrell was an attorney in private practice and served as Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Harrell’s articles and essays have appeared in publications including the Fordham International Law Journal, the Journal of International Economic Law, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, and Lawfare, among other outlets. Harrell has also testified in front of multiple congressional committees. He is also the host of a podcast, Security Economics.

Between 2009 and 2014, Harrell served at the U.S. State Department, first on the Policy Planning Staff and subsequently in the Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. Earlier in his career, Harrell served on President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly.

In addition to serving as a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of International Economic Law, Harrell is also a nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Harrell is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and holds a JD from Yale Law School.

Brian represents companies before Congress, the White House and federal agencies on a diverse set of public policy matters, including market access, investment, international trade disputes, intellectual property, international tax and customs issues.

Brian formerly served as chief international trade counsel to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). In that role, he advised Chairman Baucus and other members of the Senate Finance Committee on all aspects of the Committee’s international trade and economic agenda.

Stephen P. Vaughn is a Partner in the International Trade Team of King & Spalding, where he works primarily on international trade litigation and policy matters. In April 2019, Vaughn completed more than two years of service as General Counsel for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), where he managed a team of government attorneys representing U.S. interests in both trade negotiations and trade litigation. During two months in early 2017, he also served as acting U.S. Trade Representative.

Vaughn is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on current U.S. trade policy, as well as one of the most talented U.S. trade remedy litigators. He is recognized as a leading practitioner in Trade Remedies and Trade Policy by Legal 500 U.S., Chambers USA, and Chambers Global. He was named a 2024 Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting and one of Washingtonian’s 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy in 2025.

NICOLE BIVENS COLLINSON is a Managing Principal, Operating Committee, and International Trade and Government Relations Practice Leader with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. She is located in the Washington, D.C., office. Ms. Collinson is a commentator on trade matters on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC and is the producer of the Two Minutes in Trade podcast. Ms. Collinson has nearly 40 years of experience in government, public affairs, and lobbying. She has drafted and guided the successful implementation of several pieces of key international trade legislation positively affecting the bottom line of many U.S. companies. Clients have saved millions of dollars through the successful drafting, guidance, and passage of legislation that reduces or eliminates duties — crafting creative measures to benefit clients such as blocking changes to the first sale doctrine, miscellaneous tariff bills, specific trade preference legislation, the Generalized System of Preferences, etc. Such a track record demonstrates her ability to effectively move your agenda forward. Ms. Collinson has been very effective in assisting clients in finding options – through exclusion or other tariff mitigation strategies – to reduce duty liability for goods subject to section 301 or section 232 duties. In addition, she is a leader on the firm’s initiatives to address forced labor concerns via supply chain reviews, due diligence strategies, and proactive remediation to prevent the importation of any goods  that may violate section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 for goods made with forced labor. Ms. Collinson prepares countries, companies, and associations for negotiations with the United States on free trade agreements, trade and investment agreements, labor disputes, and preferential trade programs. She is well-known for her ability to foster dialogue among a diverse set of stakeholders to resolve complex issues in trade policy making and implementation. She also works directly with U.S. multinational corporations and associations, as well as foreign companies, associations, and government agencies, to clearly represent their positions in Washington. In doing so she analyzes and monitors cross-cutting trade issues, including labor, the environment, food safety, customs regulations, international development, and others, and helps build strong coalitions to advocate for change. Further, her work representing clients before Congress has earned her a well-respected position among politicians involved in international and business affairs. She is a well-known international trade authority in Washington, regularly called upon by members of Congress and the administration to help explain complex trade programs. Her decades of work with the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees and the Senate Finance; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Foreign Relations; and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees has established deep and lasting relations with members of Congress and their staffs.