By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Six U.S. Senators, including six Democrats, chastised Katherine Tai of the U.S. trade representative about how she handled negotiations on COVID-19 intellectual property rights. Tai said that she hadn’t consulted them.

In a letter, Chairman Ron Wyden of the Senate Finance Committee and two of Tai’s Democratic colleagues stated that she hadn’t followed their instructions to inform or consult them.

A compromise reached by the United States of America, India, South Africa and the European Union on May 3 could allow for a wider World Trade Organization treaty on intellectual property rights to COVID-19 vaccines. It is intended that this will help increase vaccine production within developing countries. It is being reviewed by all 164 WTO member countries.

“USTR’s announcement of the outcome preceded its informing Congress of the specifics of the compromise or sharing text of the proposal,” the senators wrote.

According to the group, it wanted to ensure that the Democratic Presidential Administration Joe Biden consults Congress on other trade negotiations like at the WTO and bilateral talks with Britain.

USTR’s spokesperson didn’t immediately reply to my request for comment.

Senators Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Republican, and Mike Crapo, Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, stated that USTR is required to consult with Congress “meaningfully” on proposals, regardless of how negotiations result in changes to U.S. laws.