[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2176-2177]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXPORTS PROMOTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Larsen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, trade creates jobs. In my 
home State of Washington, one in three jobs is dependent on foreign 
trade. So as Congress continues to focus on ways to create jobs, we 
must help American businesses export their products and services.
  This weekend I will travel to my own district to visit companies who 
have partnered with Federal programs to increase exports and create 
jobs. Western Chemical, for instance, a small business in Ferndale, is 
a leader in fish health products and biosecurity supplies. It recently 
received $500,000 in financing from the Export-Import Bank. By 
utilizing the Ex-Im Bank, Western Chemical is able to maintain cash 
flow, export their products, and protect the jobs at their Ferndale 
location.
  Exports drive Washington State's economy, accounting for over 30 
percent of economic growth over the past decade in our State, and 
contributing to almost half of the new jobs created over the past 30 
years in our State. So the recent establishment of the National Export 
Initiative, setting a goal to double U.S. exports in the next 5 years, 
is a step in the right direction. By finally utilizing the resources 
from the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Trade Rep's office, the 
Department of Commerce, the Ex-Im Bank, and the Department of Energy, 
the administration has made it a priority to help farmers and small 
businesses increase their exports and create 2 million new jobs here at 
home.
  Now, we in Congress must provide the resources to help them do just 
that. First, we should support the effort to hire trade experts to 
serve as advocates for U.S. companies and assist the more than 23,000 
American companies who are trading to begin or grow their export sales 
in 2011.
  However, we must not forget that the engine that drives our economy 
is small business, and that over the last two decades small- and 
medium-sized businesses have accounted for almost 65 percent of new 
jobs created here in the U.S. Last year I introduced legislation that 
directs the Department of Commerce to assist these SMEs in exporting 
their products, particularly to developing economies like China. From 
2000 to 2007, Washington State exports to China grew by 406 percent. 
This created jobs in sectors likes transportation equipment, crop 
production, and even processed foods. I know that the U.S. Trade Rep's 
office has launched an initiative specifically aimed at increasing 
exports by small- and medium-sized firms here in the U.S. I stand ready 
to help.

[[Page 2177]]

  Lastly, our farmers will benefit as well. For every $1 billion in ag 
exports, 9,000 jobs are created, and $1.4 billion in economic activity 
is generated. Our farmers, our small business owners want to export 
their products and services. They want to create jobs here in the 
United States. I am urging my colleagues to help them do this by 
supporting the National Export Initiative, which will in turn create 
jobs and launch us on a path towards long-term economic growth.

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