Trade Policy Committee

The TPC is a cabinet-level, interagency trade committee established by the
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (chaired by the USTR) to provide broad guidance
on trade issues. The Committee was renewed by an Executive Order at the
end of the Carter Administration. Toward the end of the first Reagan
Administration, with much dissension over Japan policy between the TPC, the
Senior Interagency Group (chaired by Treasury), and the other groups, the
White House created the Economic Policy Council (EPC) in 1985 as a single
forum to reduce tensions.

The Trade Policy Review Group (TPRG) is a subcabinet group which meets
about once a week. The TPRG is an ad hoc creation that was not established
by law. TPRG membership is fairly fluid; so that agencies which want to
participate in a particular discussion can sit at the table.

The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) has met perhaps once a year since
1988. TPSC was established by law to obtain advice from the private sector
on topics such as retaliation; it generally serves as a paper clearance
structure.

Beneath the TPSC is a large number (60-to-100, exact counts are not
maintained) of TPSC subcommittees. Subcommittees are not independent; they
are established ad referendum, to deal with topics of interim interest and
are sometimes no more than phone and fax lists of interested parties on a
given issue.