U.S. Chamber Applauds White House Effort to Double Exports, Create Jobs

Offers Aggressive Strategy for Expanding Trade

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce offered its full support of the National Export Initiative to be unveiled by the administration today and called for immediate action to open foreign markets and create jobs.

"To create the 20 million jobs we'll need by 2020, American businesses need better access to the world's customers, and 95 percent of them live beyond our borders," said Myron Brilliant, the U.S. Chamber's senior vice president for International Affairs. "The Chamber applauds the administration's timely National Export Initiative, which will help both small businesses and large companies boost exports."

"Now we need to focus on translating these plans into action," added Brilliant. "For too long, the United States has been standing on the sidelines while other nations are designing a new architecture for world trade. By standing still, we're falling behind, and we must act swiftly to regain the initiative."

The Chamber has offered a five-point plan for expanding trade, including:

• passing the pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and Korea;
• negotiating more market-opening accords such as the Doha Round and the Trans-Pacific Partnership;
• combating economic isolation at home and abroad, as in the case of "buy local" requirements;
• modernizing U.S. export controls; and
• helping small and medium-sized companies tap export markets.

Last fall the U.S. Chamber began calling for a national goal of doubling exports in the next five years. At the same time, the Chamber released a study that said more than 500,000 U.S. jobs could be lost if the United States fails to move forward on trade.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

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