EPI President Thea Lee will join the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was created by Congress in 2000 to monitor and report on the national security implications of the trade and economic relationship between the United States and China, and to provide recommendations to Congress for legislative action.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join the U.S.–China Commission,” said Lee. “Our relationship with China is critical, and indeed vital to the economy, but it’s important to gather and review evidence from a wide range of sources and perspectives on how this important relationship is evolving—and how that evolution is impacting workers in the U.S. and China. I look forward to working with the commission to shed light on these issues.”

Lee was appointed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said that Lee will bring a much-needed voice to the commission.

“Thea Lee is laser-focused on how U.S. trade policy impacts working families, and her years studying China’s abusive trade practices make her an excellent addition to the U.S. China Commission,” said Schumer. “Thea has and will continue to provide thoughtful counsel to Congress, and I trust she will stand up for American workers in her new role.”

A trade economist and expert on U.S.–China trade, Lee spent her career advocating on behalf of working families in national policy debates on issues such as fair trade and workers’ rights.  Lee became president of EPI in January, 2018. She has a longstanding relationship with the organization, having begun her career as an international trade economist at EPI in the 1990s. Lee came to EPI from the AFL-CIO, where she served as deputy chief of staff. At the AFL-CIO, she built a long track record of conducting rigorous economic research, overseeing an ambitious policy agenda, and helping steer a large organization through change. Lee has also served on the State Department Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, the Export-Import Bank Advisory Committee, and the Board of Directors of the National Bureau of Economic Research, among others. Her father was born in China and came to the United States as a child.