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Commerce Nominee Stephen Haynes Promises Supply‑chain Mapping and Data Integrity for Industry Analysis
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Summary
Stephen Haynes, nominee for assistant secretary for industry and analysis, told senators he will supercharge INA’s analytic capabilities to map critical‑mineral supply chains, support trade investigations and share data with Congress; he pledged to maintain the integrity of INA’s sectoral data.
Stephen Haynes, President Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of commerce for industry and analysis at the International Trade Administration, told the Senate Commerce Committee he will focus on mapping supply chains for critical minerals, strengthening trade data and supporting policies to enhance U.S. competitiveness.
Haynes described current INA work as “mine to market” mapping for 54 critical minerals, said INA has identified more than 700 projects and referenced about $16,000,000,000 in letters of intent or term sheets that cover projects addressing roughly half of those minerals. He told the panel INA will share analytic products with the committee and collaborate with White House efforts to secure supply chains.
On data integrity, Haynes denied political bias in INA’s figures and said maintaining unbiased, high‑integrity data would be a top priority if confirmed. “There is no political bias in the data that we produce,” he told Senator Peters, adding that INA will continue to rely on both industry and unbiased data sources.
Haynes also addressed digital trade and tourism. He said INA’s services teams operate cross‑border privacy programs and noted work on a U.S.–EU data privacy framework. On travel and tourism, Haynes said the department will digitize and modernize the international visitor survey, roll out a 50‑state tourism competitiveness matrix and that a deputy for travel and tourism will start in January to lead NTTO work.
Senators sought concrete commitments to use INA’s data in policy enforcement, coordinate with defense and procurement authorities on economic security, and consider legislative proposals to promote resilient supply chains. Haynes said he would provide support to any White House‑led national economic security strategy and would work with the committee and other agencies to strengthen links between INA analysis and national defense needs.
The hearing concluded without a committee vote; senators will submit follow‑up questions for the record.
