[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 71 (Thursday, May 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE EFFICIENT EXPORT PROMOTION TO HELP AMERICAN BUSINESSES ACT OF 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 17, 2012

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill with the 
support of Congressman Reichert to increase the efficiency and 
effectiveness of our country's export promotion efforts. Over the next 
decade exports will be this country's biggest growth engine for jobs. 
Even though most everyone knows that, everyone also agrees the United 
States does not do a great job of promoting our exports. But with 
commonsense no-cost reforms, we can take big steps to change that--and 
create jobs faster and compete better with other countries.
  There are about 20 agencies in the Federal Government working hard to 
promote our exports--and they're all overseen by an effort centered in 
the called the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, TPCC, created by 
President Clinton in 1993.
  The fact that most people have never heard of it says a lot about why 
we're not succeeding. My bill would put more energy into their efforts.
  First, this bill would make sure the TPCC and all the agencies it 
coordinates has a single plan every year, sets clear goals and ensures 
the export efforts of all of these agencies are coordinated and do not 
overlap.
  Second, my bill would require an annual report to businesses and 
Congress that looks back on the government's efforts to promote 
exports, the private sector's progress, where the Federal Government's 
work succeeded and came up short, how we're competing with other 
countries and what our next steps are.
  Finally, my bill gets businesses and the TPCC much better data so we 
actually know how we are doing. Right now our Services export and 
import numbers are up to 35 percent off because Congress does not let 
the statisticians in the Commerce Department see all the data they 
need. Businesses want accurate economic data and people who promote our 
exports have to have it too. This is a place where Congress is in the 
way and we should fix it.
  More than 50 other countries promote their exports and most of those 
countries do a better job than we do. This bill would go a long way 
towards making us number one.
  This bill would cost the American taxpayer nothing, but go a long way 
towards making our export efforts more efficient, more accountable, and 
would help us create more jobs here at home. Thank you.

                          ____________________