Other Presidential Documents
with the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). The TPCC, chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, was authorized by statute in 1992 (15 U.S.C. 4727) and established by Executive Order 12870 of September 30, 1993. The NEI has used Government resources and policies to increase exports at a pace consistent with the goal of doubling exports by the end of 2014. The NEI has accomplished this by opening up foreign markets for U.S. exports, enhancing enforcement of our trade laws, providing needed export financing, advocating on behalf of U.S. firms, and otherwise facilitating U.S. exports. But we must do more.
On January 13, 2012, I announced that I would submit a legislative proposal seeking the authority to reorganize the Federal Government in order to reduce costs and consolidate agencies (Consolidation Authority), and outlined the first use I would make of such authority: to streamline functions currently dispersed across numerous agencies into a single new department to promote competitiveness, exports, and American business. The new department would integrate and streamline trade negotiation, financing, promotion, and enforcement functions currently housed at half a dozen executive departments and agencies, and would include an office dedicated to expanding foreign investment and assisting businesses that are considering investing in the United States. In addition to the trade and investment functions, the new department would include integrated small business, technology, innovation, and statistics programs and services from a number of departments and agencies, thereby creating a one-stop shop for businesses that want to grow and export. We cannot afford to wait until the Congress acts, however, and must do all we can administratively to make the most efficient and effective use of the Federal Government’s trade, foreign investment, export, and business programs and functions.
Accordingly, to further enhance and coordinate Federal efforts to facilitate the creation of jobs in the United States and ensure sustainable economic growth through trade and foreign investment, and to ensure the effective and efficient use of Federal resources in support of these goals, I hereby direct the following:
(1) Program Coordination. In coordination with the TPCC, the Export Promotion Cabinet shall develop strategies and initiatives in support of my Administration’s strategic trade and investment goals and priorities, including the specific measures outlined in this memorandum. The Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics shall coordinate the activities of the Export Promotion Cabinet pursuant to this memorandum. Measures and progress shall continue to be reported in the annual National Export Strategy report of the TPCC. The TPCC will continue to function as it has, consistent with its statutorily mandated duties.
(2) Improving Customer Service for Exporters. Consistent with my memorandum of October 28, 2011 (Making it Easier for America’s Small Businesses and America’s Exporters to Access Government Services to Help Them Grow and Hire), the Export Promotion Cabinet shall support the Steering Committee established pursuant to that memorandum in its efforts to create BusinessUSA, a common, open, online platform and web service that will, among other things, enable exporters to seamlessly access information about export-related Government programs, resources, and services regardless of which agency provides them.
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