Marisa Lago decries the retreat from the international order

Marisa Lago said the diversity of New York and its connectedness to the rest of the nation – and to the rest of the world – is what makes it great. Lago is a veteran public servant, having worked as director of the New York City Department of City Planning during the de Blasio administration and then as the undersecretary of commerce for international trade under President Joe Biden. Throughout April, she and her husband were on a road trip visiting Civil Rights Movement sites in the South, reconnecting with the history of a movement she said was influential growing up. She spoke with City & State while at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is an accomplishment you’re proud of since you were originally on the 50 Over 50 in 2021?

Since that time, I was a member of the Biden-Harris administration. I was undersecretary of commerce for international trade. I am extremely proud of having led the International Trade Administration, which advocates for U.S. businesses and their workers as they export around the world. I had a team of around 2,300 people located in over 80 countries and in 100 U.S. cities. During my three years there, I represented the U.S. in 39 countries – eight of them I visited twice – so I basically lived in an airplane. With this focus on enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and their workers, it was a true privilege to be part of the Biden-Harris administration and to serve under Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who was an absolute rock star of the Biden administration.

What was a success from your time as director of the New York City Department of City Planning? A challenge?

We were able to successfully rezone the SoHo and NoHo areas that had such potential, given how transit-rich they are and how central they are in Manhattan. I think the rezoning of Gowanus created the opportunity for so much housing. Those are bigger projects, but it’s also the steady stream of smaller upzoning that included mandatory inclusionary housing throughout all of the boroughs, that created housing opportunities at a range of different income levels.

The challenge is one that continues to be played out in the life of the city, which is the fact that some people in neighborhoods don’t want to see change. I do believe that over the past few years there has been an increase in recognition on the part of New Yorkers, and on part of their elected officials, of the fact that we need to address the housing shortage and the housing affordability crisis that we have. It has been heartening to see an increasing recognition of the need for good planning, planning that includes additional density and additional housing at a range of incomes.

What do you want people to know about your work in the U.S. Departments of Treasury and Commerce? Any successes you’re particularly proud of? 

While my work for the city under the Koch, Dinkins and de Blasio administrations has been domestically focused, focused on the life of the city, my roles in Washington, (D.C.), have all been international. Some people might look and say, “Oh, are those two different careers?” I see them as being of a piece, because it has always been focused on creating economic opportunity, a focus on job creation, a focus on equity, that has driven me. I come from an immigrant family. I’m my family’s first college graduate. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to Cooper Union to receive an excellent free education, but also the obligation, through my career, to pay it forward and to focus on what I can do to create economic and job opportunity for future generations who might not look like me, might have different backgrounds, come from different places. To contribute to what I believe makes our country, makes our beloved New York City, so vibrant, which is our diversity.

How do you see the Trump administration’s tariff policy affecting New York?

I’ll step back and frame it: I’ve worked on international trade during my three stints in the federal government: heading international at the Securities and Exchange Commission, heading global markets and development at the Treasury and then most recently in a role where trade was a part of my title. I’m a firm believer in the fact that we are stronger as a nation when we are active globally – (I’m) also a believer that our U.S. companies are themselves commercial ambassadors for a way of doing business, for values. So, I’m disheartened as I see us retreating from an international order that has been so helpful to the U.S. and our residents, but also globally. I think all of us perceive that the benefits of trade have been distributed unequally, so I do think there is a need to make sure that the benefits of trade are understood and, in fact, are more equal for Americans of all economic levels. But I am, as I said before, so disheartened by a retreat from the world order. It has been such a point of pride to be able to represent the country that welcomed my family, to be proud of being an American and what it stood for, to be engaged with countries from around the globe, from G7 countries to the most struggling of countries. This withdrawal weakens us.

What is the best model for a tariff policy related to promoting U.S. exports?

The one thing I might add is the importance of certainty and consistency in policy. Businesses look at the regulatory environment, at the tariff environment, and then make decisions. Businesses like certainty. I think it is important to note how much the U.S. has benefited from foreign direct investment. That was one of the areas that I was responsible for when I was undersecretary of commerce, not only U.S. exporters but also attracting foreign direct investment. I was pleased to be at Commerce at a time when we went through 12 years of being the No. 1 source of foreign direct investment globally. This investment benefits us because it creates jobs in the U.S., but it also brings the expertise of other nations to us.