Payne Griffin

Payne Griffin advises clients on a range of policy and regulatory issues, including trade, national security and environmental matters, bringing highly relevant expertise to client issues based on more than a decade of service in the U.S. government.

Previously, Payne served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) Robert Lighthizer during the first Trump Administration, playing a key role in shaping and implementing the Administration's trade policy agenda.

Immediately prior to joining FTI Consulting, Payne was Chief of Staff for Representative Dale Strong in the U.S. House of Representatives, a member of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, and worked for Senator Mike Braun as Deputy Legislative Director for the Senator’s work on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

During the first Trump Administration, Payne worked to implement the President’s global trade agenda including the Section 232 tariffs into steel and aluminum, the Section 201 tariffs on solar panels and washing machines, and the Section 301 tariffs on China. He also worked with the USTR team to implement the tariff exclusion process following the implementation of the Section 301 actions against China. Payne was a member of the President's transition team in 2016, contributing to the development of the Administration's policy priorities.