President Trump’s trade representative is spending nearly $1 million on new furniture — and blaming the Obama administration.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer spent more than $917,000 to furnish the two trade offices near the White House, according to contracts reviewed by The Post.
That’s a significant increase compared to the last two trade reps.
Ron Kirk, President Barack Obama’s first trade ambassador, spent $237,000 on office furniture during the first 15 months of his term.
His successor, Ambassador Michael Froman, spent $151,000 during a comparable time span, records show.
When asked about the spending spree, Lighthizer’s office pointed the finger at the Obama administration.
“The furniture purchases are the culmination of a longtime, planned project that began under the Obama Administration to replace two-decade-old furniture,” Lighthizer’s office said in a statement.
They said they’re just sticking to the plan set in motion under Obama.
“The project to upgrade offices has been going on since 2014,” the trade office said.
But Obama-era reps say they didn’t sign off on any major remodeling plans.
One former aide said it’s “laughable” the Trump administration would try to pin this on Obama, seeing that it managed to pull out of the major Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact on week 1 of his presidency.
“We told 11 other countries that we were going to do a trade deal with them, and the Trump administration found the power to unwind that,” the Obama trade official told The Post. “So furniture purchases cannot be as binding as a trade agreement that the president of the United States signed.”
“It’s just laughable,” the official added.
In the last 15 months, the two Washington trade offices — the Winder Building and nearby the annex at 1724 F St. NW — have 60 sit-stand desks at a cost of $18,500, movable wooden wall systems that cost $290,000, and 90 Herman Miller Aeron office chairs billed at $54,000.
The biggest bill was some $475,000 to Executive Furniture of Washington, DC, which specializes in rich wood-finished desks and high-grade furniture fit for bosses.
That executive furniture went to various trade offices, like the general counsel and offices specializing in World Trade Organization affairs, Southeast Asia and agricultural affairs.
Two of the furniture contractors contacted by The Post said the trade offices were in need of upgrades and plans were in the works prior to Trump taking office.
“They’re doing their best to give it a good makeover,” Nady Samnang, chairman and CEO of Omnifics, told The Post.
Another contractor who supplied the Herman Miller office chairs said the contract is brand new and she’s grateful for the business.