Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered remarks to the President’s Export Council (PEC) about the important role that PEC members play in advancing the President’s trade agenda. The PEC serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade and meets regularly to discuss new recommendations for resolving trade-related challenges among the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.
During her remarks, Secretary Pritzker highlighted significant achievements in international trade as a result of PEC recommendations over the last several years. She also discussed the importance of passing Trade Promotion Authority to further the President’s trade agenda. In today’s global economy, American prosperity is directly tied to our ability to reach new markets and new customers beyond our borders. The TPA bill establishes a process to negotiate new trade deals, while simultaneously outlining Congressional priorities for the Administration to follow on these agreements. Passage of Trade Promotion Authority is a critical step toward enabling the U.S. to negotiate modern trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific and Europe that reflect our values, will open up new markets, level the playing field for our businesses and workers, and create more high-paying American jobs.
After her remarks, Secretary Pritzker solicited feedback from PEC members on how the Administration can help American companies take advantage of new trade agreements.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery Thank you, Jim, for your introduction. I also want to personally thank you for your service to our country. You have been a strong leader of the PEC since 2010, and you and your team have helped the Council develop and prioritize its recommendations and deliver specific, actionable advice. Ursula, I want to congratulate you on your new role as Chair. I enjoyed leading the PEC trip to Poland and Turkey with you last fall, and I look forward to working closely with you to advance our trade and export goals.
Each member of the President’s Export Council plays an invaluable role in advising our country’s international trade agenda. Your recommendations have contributed to many key accomplishments over the last several years. For example, the President signed new free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama; we are on track to complete the International Trade Data System, which will save American companies time and money by streamlining the import and export process; and we are meeting visa processing goals at high-demand posts around the world. Soon, I hope we can add securing Trade Promotion Authority to that list. I know this has been a PEC priority for years, and I am grateful to all of you for your support of TPA.
U.S. companies and workers need new trade agreements to thrive in the fiercely competitive global economy. Too often, U.S. companies lack equal access to the 96 percent of the world’s customers that live beyond our borders. Addressing these barriers and opening markets are the central forces that drive the President’s trade agenda, which will spur economic growth, create jobs, and level the playing field for American workers. Currently, we are focused on negotiating strong, high-standard agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. I do not want to get ahead of myself here, but I am an optimist and a planner at heart. My Department is already working to lay the groundwork so that your businesses, your supply chains, and our nation’s small and medium sized enterprises can capitalize on an eventual TPP.
We recognize that our responsibility is to help businesses take advantage of new trade agreements. To that end, we have more than 100 U.S. Export Assistance Centers across the country. Their purpose is to help American businesses with every step of the export process. Our staff can introduce firms to overseas buyers and distributors, as well as provide them with counseling and advocacy. We also now have more than 175 foreign commercial service professionals located in the eleven TPP partner countries. They provide American companies with on-the-ground assistance as they seek to successfully navigate exporting into new markets. Since I took office, the Department has led 11 trade missions to the TPP region. Personally, I have traveled to Japan, Vietnam, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, and Malaysia as Secretary of Commerce. However, these efforts mark just the beginning. Our job is to bring these new trade agreements to life.
We, at the Department of Commerce, will upgrade available market research on TPP countries. We will enhance our industry-specific expertise to ensure companies have the data they need to compete. We will improve existing tools and develop new applications so that businesses can plan ahead and incorporate TPP into their export strategy. And we will increase opportunities for U.S. companies to engage potential buyers and partners in TPP markets at trade shows and other events. In addition, one of our most important responsibilities at the Commerce Department is enforcing trade rules. Our team systematically monitors, investigates, and ensures foreign governments’ compliance with more than 250 trade agreements to which the United States is a party. We work with exporters of all sizes to overcome barriers caused by foreign government policies that violate trade agreement obligations.
Today, I have three asks for you. First, we want your input on how our Department can best position U.S. companies to take advantage of new trade agreements. What information will you and your suppliers need most, and in what format; and what tools and assistance do you need to capitalize on the new opportunities? Second, on behalf of the Administration, our Department recently accepted Germany’s invitation to be the official “Partner Country” for next year’s Hannover Messe – the largest industrial trade fair in the world. I hope your companies will attend the event. The Hannover Messe is an opportunity for you to showcase your innovative, high-quality products to hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the world. Third, I know several of you are manufacturers, and I invite you to join us for Manufacturing Day on October 2nd. This effort seeks to expose graduates and high school students to the innovative, inventive businesses that characterize today’s manufacturing sector. The goal of this national event is to address a PEC priority: to improve the image of manufacturing. Last year, we had 400,000 attendees at over 1,600 events. This year, we aspire to have more than 2,000 events take place across all 50 states, and we encourage your companies’ participation.
I understand that the recommendations the PEC will put forth today aim to make U.S. businesses more globally competitive, including reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank; strengthening North American supply chains; modernizing and upgrading our country’s infrastructure; and promoting job-driven training and workforce development that prepare workers for the jobs of the 21stcentury.
I am so sorry that I am unable to stay for the remainder of today’s meeting, but you are in good hands with Deputy Secretary Andrews. I look forward to receiving his read out of your recommendations. The President’s Export Council’s recommendations are critical in shaping our policies, and your persistence is essential to achieving the outcomes necessary for America to lead in an increasingly globalized economy. Working together, I am confident we can keep America open for more growth, open for more progress, and open for more business. Thank you.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
