The nominations approved by the panel, which will move to the full Senate for confirmation, include: Ed Eck, to be a Member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board at the US Department of the Treasury; Richard T. Morrison, David D. Gustafson, and Elizabeth Crewson Paris, to be a Judges of the United States Tax Court; Eric M. Thorson, to be Inspector General, at the US Department of Treasury; and Deanna Tanner Okun, to be Deputy United States Trade Representative within the Executive Office of the President, upon enactment of S.J.Res 38, a resolution removing a statutory bar to her confirmation.

The Trade Act of 1974 currently bars Ms Okun’s nomination, as it prohibits individuals who previously represented a foreign government in specified matters from serving as USTR or Deputy USTR.

Baucus commented during the markup session for the nominations that:

“The increasing complexity of the tax laws demands the appointment of highly skilled judges to the bench. Mr Morrison, Mr Gustafson, and Ms Paris each bring with them a combination of government and private sector work in the tax field. I am confident that their experience and extensive knowledge make them well-suited to be judges on the Tax Court."

“Mr Thorson has proven to be tough and fair in his current position as Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. Before that, he served for both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations."

"I believe his wide-ranging experience will help him be fair and impartial as he carries out his duties as the Treasury Inspector General."

“Ed Eck brings with him 30 years of experience with the tax laws, as a practitioner, as an Assistant US Attorney, and as an academic. Over the past 30 years, Ed Eck has looked at the tax laws from all sides. And I believe that this vast array of experience will make him a valuable member of the IRS Oversight Board."

“Deanna Okun also brings a wealth of experience to the position for which she has been nominated — the Deputy US Trade Representative. She served as a trade and foreign policy aide to former Senator and Finance Committee Member Frank Murkowski. And she currently serves as Commissioner of the International Trade Commission, where she oversees the enforcement of US trade remedies laws."

“I have long urged USTR to beef up its enforcement efforts. I hope that Ms. Okun will use her enforcement experience at the International Trade Commission to deal with the challenging enforcement issues that confront USTR, especially at they relate to China and Korea. I look forward to working with her in this capacity."