On behalf of the Sweetener Users Association, I write to respectfully urge your favorable consideration of Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer for the post of United States Trade Representative (USTR). Ambassador Lighthizer’s decades-long involvement in major trade policy issues make him eminently qualified to serve in this critical role. SUA members are directly affected by trade policies in many ways, notably through the operation of U.S. sugar policy, including tariff rate quotas (TRQs) which involve obligations to some 40 different countries, as well as Free Trade Agreements with a number of countries that also provide limited market access for sugar from these countries. Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the lead agency in establishing TRQ levels on an annual basis, USTR has many important responsibilities in this area as well, including the allocation of TRQs among eligible countries.