Senate Confirms 5 ITC Commissioners

On July 16, the U.S. Senate confirmed all five of President Trump’s nominees to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), which, when they are sworn in, will restore the Commission to its full six-member panel for the first time since 2017. The confirmations follow a June 25 hearing before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. The new Commissioners’ backgrounds, as well as major themes from their Senate Finance Committee testimonies, are below:  

Brett Doyle (Republican)

Doyle served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where he directed Congressional engagement on trade negotiations, legislation, tariff policy, and enforcement matters. In his testimony, he framed trade policy through the lens of manufacturing decline in his home region and presented himself as a trade-policy veteran who believes the government should combat unfair trade practices while preserving the ITC’s reputation as a neutral fact-finding institution. Doyle was sworn in as a Commissioner of the ITC on July 17, 2026, for a term expiring December 16, 2030. President Trump designated Commissioner Doyle as Chairman of the ITC on July 20, 2026, for a term expiring June 16, 2028.  

David Foley, Jr. (Republican)

Foley is an electrical engineer by training who pivoted to law, entering private intellectual property (IP) law practice before joining the ITC as a clerk in the Office of the Administrative Law Judges. He later served as a litigator at the U.S. Department of Justice and in policy roles at the White House, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the House Judiciary Committee. His testimony focused on his role as a career public servant with experience in IP, trade, and government processes. He repeatedly emphasized innovation, indicating that he views IP as a key component of U.S. competitiveness and the ITC’s broader mission. His term expires on June 16, 2032.  

Peter-Anthony Pappas (Republican)

Pappas has an extensive background in IP, beginning as a patent examiner at the USPTO and advancing to a supervisory patent examiner over the course of a 21-year career at the Office, including a stint as Special Advisor to the Director in which he helped craft the 2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance. Most recently, he served as Director of Intellectual Property Policy for the Senate Judiciary Committee. His testimony framed the ITC as a primary defender of U.S. innovation and evinced a firm belief that strong, predictable IP rights are essential to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. His term expires June 16, 2035.  

Samuel Negatu (Democrat)

Negatu has an extensive background in trade policy, including service in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs and later as Assistant General Counsel. Most recently, he served as Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Consumer Technology Association. His testimony highlighted his background as the child of immigrants, extensive trade and government experience, and respect for diverse perspectives while still defending the ITC’s role as a neutral fact-finding body. His term expires June 16, 2029.  

Bartholomew Thanhauser (Democrat)

Thanhauser served for over a decade as a trade negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, including a stint helping build cases at the World Trade Organization against foreign partners accused of violating trade agreements and undercutting U.S. workers. He framed himself as a nonpartisan career public servant in his testimony, emphasizing the importance of vigorous enforcement of U.S. trade remedy and IP laws. His term expires December 16, 2027.  

Takeaways

When the remaining now-confirmed Commissioners are sworn in, they will join Commissioner Johanson in restoring the ITC to its full complement of six Commissioners. Having six Commissioners will provide the ITC with greater resources to achieve Commission goals and reduce risks of losing a quorum when a Commissioner recuses from an investigation. Moreover, these five new Commissioners bring tremendous experience, not only in trade issues, but also in IP issues that are critical to Section 337 investigations. ITC stakeholders, particularly those with an interest in how IP rights are used to protect U.S. industries, will watch with interest how Commissioners Foley and Pappas, with their strong IP backgrounds, will shape the conduct and speed of Section 337 investigations.