WASHINGTON—The Senate is expected to confirm Wilbur Ross as Commerce secretary Monday, an appointment key to allowing President Donald Trump to make progress on his campaign promise to overhaul U.S. trade policy.

Trump rode a wave of economic discontent to the White House driven partly by his message that existing trade deals don’t help American workers. He has pledged to renegotiate or pull the U.S. out of the North American Free Trade Agreement and warned that he would take steps to restrict imports from China and other trading partners he says engage in unfair practices.