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President Trump Has A New Job For Retiring Congressman Darrell Issa

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

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President Trump will reportedly appoint retiring GOP Congressman Darrell Issa to head the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.

Its mission, according to the agency’s website, is to help “companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies.”

USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.

Issa, who was facing an uphill battle for reelection in an increasingly Democratic-leaning district, announced his retirement at the end of the 2018 term earlier this year.

“I’m going to be 65 and happily looking forward to doing other things,” Issa said in January. “I intend on staying very involved in both contributing my time and money because I believe in the issues I came here 18 years ago so there’s nothing changing.”

Issa’s time in Congress during Trump’s tenure was particularly marked by his strong advocacy for the president’s “America first” trade policies, especially as they related to taking a hard line on China.

“I am incredibly aware of the impact these tariffs are having on Christmas items,” Issa said on Wednesday during a World Economic Forum meeting in China, the Washington Examiner reported. “The reality is this is the right time—for more than two decades, we saw our own industrial base erode because of a set of unfair trade practices in a number of countries. If we are going to ask for a proper fairness, if not now, then when?”

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