Statement from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on International Trade in Goods and Services in October 2013

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker issued the following statement today on the release of the October 2013 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services data. U.S. exports of goods and services reached an all-time monthly high of $192.7 billion, up from $189.3 billion in September, with record petroleum exports. The trade deficit improved to $40.6 billion from $43.0 billion in September.

“Today’s data show that U.S. exports are continuing to support our economic recovery. At the Department of Commerce, one of the top priorities of our ‘Open for Business Agenda’ is expanding our exporter base and creating more opportunities for American goods and services to reach new markets,” said Secretary Pritzker. "U.S. exports support nearly 10 million good-paying American jobs, and we have added 1.3 million export-supported jobs since 2009. The Department of Commerce is committed to building on that success through an aggressive trade and investment agenda that helps more U.S. companies compete in the global marketplace.”

Since President Obama launched the National Export Initiative (NEI) in 2010, an ambitious plan to sell more American goods and services into foreign markets, the United States has seen an increase of 1.3 million export-supported jobs. The NEI is the first Presidential-led, government-wide export promotion strategy. Through the initiative’s focus on improving trade promotion and advocacy, reducing barriers and enforcing trade rules, U.S. exports have continued to grow. The United States exported a record $2.2 trillion dollars last year, up more than $600 billion from 2009. Fact Sheet