ITC Sees Increasing Workload and Staff Shortages, Commissioners Say
The International Trade Commission has seen its workload outpace its staffing in recent years, according to several current and former commissioners. Speaking on a panel at Georgetown Law's annual International Trade Update, Chairman David Johanson said that the agency's workload keeps going up despite its small staff of just over 400 employees.
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Recent budget increases have helped but have not allowed the Commission to hire staff at a rate that keeps pace with its work requirements. Commissioner Amy Karpel noted that the significant increase in 332 general fact-finding investigation requests has put a strain on the small agency's resources. She said that the staff is motivated but 332 investigations, which "stretch beyond traditional trade questions," require specialized staff for highly complex research requests.
Chairman Johanson said that he is using his second turn as chair to take a proactive approach at addressing agency issues. Though he said he does not view his mission this time as overseeing a major overhaul, he does intend to "nudge" the ITC to be more efficient by conducting reviews of which processes work well and which do not.