• U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is credited with making tangible progress in lowering non-tariff barriers for American exporters.
  • A recent agreement with Saudi Arabia on auto standards is highlighted as a key win, opening new market access.
  • The administration's broader strategy focuses on identifying unfair practices and restoring "fairness" in global trade, with the EU and China as ongoing focal points.

Treasury Secretary Bessent's public commendation of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer underscores a significant, if less visible, pillar of the administration's trade agenda: the systematic dismantling of non-tariff barriers (NTBs). While tariff wars often grab headlines, Greer's office has been quietly negotiating to remove the complex web of regulations, standards, and procedures that can stifle American exports as effectively as any import tax.

"Ambassador Greer has done a great job lifting non-tariff barriers," Bessent said, according to people familiar with his remarks, pointing to concrete results from a strategy that prioritizes regulatory diplomacy. The most immediate evidence of this success is a pact signed with Saudi Arabia in November regarding motor vehicle safety standards. The agreement, Greer stated at the time, creates "new opportunities for American businesses and workers by expanding markets for U.S. exports by lowering non-tariff barriers for American-made cars." It directly addresses what U.S. officials had criticized as Saudi Arabia's practice of adopting non-U.S. standards that restricted market access.

This work is part of a broader, methodical campaign detailed in the USTR's 2025 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. The report, which catalogs obstacles across 14 categories from import policies to intellectual property enforcement, serves as the playbook for the administration's efforts. Greer has emphasized that "No American President in modern history has recognized the wide-ranging and harmful foreign trade barriers American exporters face more than President Trump," framing the push as a restoration of fairness. The administration's stance is that while the U.S. maintains one of the world's most open markets, many trading partners simultaneously impose high tariffs and dense NTBs on American goods.

The focus now extends beyond bilateral agreements to complex multilateral negotiations. Active talks with the European Union aim to tackle a suite of emerging energy trade barriers, including the contentious Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Methane Regulation. Officials describe these as the next frontier in non-tariff disputes, where environmental and sustainability directives create de facto market restrictions. Meanwhile, the long-term challenge of China's non-market policies and NTBs remains, with Greer himself acknowledging in May that resolving these issues would require sustained effort over time.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the month of the Saudi Arabia agreement signing. It was finalized in November 2025.