Haines served as Hagerty’s National Security Fellow for two years
WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced his former staff member, Steven Haines, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis, at a Senate Commerce Committee nomination hearing. Haines, a native of Franklin, TN, previously worked as a longtime civil servant in the State Department and served as a National Security Fellow in Senator Hagerty’s office between January 2023 and January 2025.
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell for holding this important hearing today. It’s my great honor to introduce my former staffer, friend, and fellow Tennessean, Steven Haines, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis.
First, I want to address the staff in the room. I hope everyone sitting along the walls this morning takes special note. Our staffs do such a wonderful job of supporting our work, and today I have the privilege of introducing one of my former staff members, and I hope you all will look to Steven for inspiration and as a reminder of the critically important work you do every day.
Steven was one of my national security advisors for two years. His counsel was critical, covering nearly every issue that came to my office. From supporting my role as Ranking Member of the Banking National Security subcommittee covering export controls and CFIUS work, to State Department Reauthorization and consular issues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to the important work of funding the government through the Appropriations process, there wasn’t much that Steven did not add significant value to in my office.
Before his time in the Senate, Steven served as a Presidential Management Fellow, then a Foreign Affairs Officer at the Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Steven is a graduate of the University of Nevada and holds a masters in Asian Studies from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.
Steven’s understanding of how federal agencies operate and his deep knowledge of foreign policy and national security issues were evident from the first day he joined my team. This expertise served the constituents of Tennessee remarkably well. His love for this country and serving the American people is palpable.
He is a man of conviction, loyalty, and integrity, and precisely the caliber of person we need serving in government.
I thank you for considering Steven’s nomination, and I encourage my colleagues to support his nomination as he advances his call to public service.
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