U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Discusses U.S. Competitiveness at Foreign Policy Magazine Forum

Recently, Secretary Pritzker sat down with David Rothkopf, CEO of Foreign Policy Magazine, to discuss the importance of U.S. competitiveness in global markets. The discussion was part of a day-long “Competitiveness Forum” hosted by Foreign Policy magazine on Thursday, June 25. The event provided the opportunity for key voices from the Administration, think tanks, media, and private sector to comment on ways to improve U.S. competitiveness.

 

With the continued advancement of technology and globalization in today’s society, the world is becoming increasingly competitive. Secretary Pritzker highlighted that in order to strengthen our position as the most competitive country in the world, we must seek out new opportunities for American ingenuity to thrive in the global marketplace, creating greater prosperity for the American people.

 

One way to ensure American businesses and workers remain competitive is increasing our investment in skills training programs and business development programs for American workers and businesses. Skills development is a priority for the Commerce Department and Secretary Pritzker recently launched the “Skills for Business” agenda, a partnership with the Aspen Institute that develops the talent pipeline for the in-demand jobs of today.

 

The Administration’s trade agenda also allows American businesses and workers to compete globally in the 21^st century economy. Last week, the U.S. government took an important step toward ensuring our country maintains its competitive status around the globe with the passage of the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. Passage of TPA enables the U.S. to negotiate high-standard trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the Asia-Pacific region that reflects U.S. values and ideals. These new trade agreements will allow American businesses to reach new markets, which is vital to remaining globally competitive.

 

While the passage of TPA opens up significant opportunities in global markets, there is still much to be done to ensure American businesses are able to capitalize on new trade agreements. The Commerce Department is committed to educating businesses on the benefits of TPA, TPP, and the resources available to make the most informed decisions on a global scale. Currently, there are more than 175 commercial service staffers in TPP partner countries to help prepare American businesses in new markets, enhance industry-specific expertise, and update our research on market opportunities in TPP regions. The Commerce Department will continue to work tireless to lay the groundwork across new trade regions to help American businesses and workers remain globally competitive.