US Trade Representative Says Administration's Export Goals Are On Track

By Anna Cameron

The United States is well on its way to achieving its goal of doubling exports over the next five years, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk revealed at a John Hopkins University SAIS roundtable Wednesday.

“We are well on the path of meeting that objective of doubling exports,” he said. “[We are] ell over pace that we would need.”

According to the Representative, the National Export Initiative, which President Obama announced as an executive order in March of 2010, brings a focused approach to increasing exports, and according to Kirk, has been successful in its mission by helping the country bounce back from economic hardship.

“Exports always tend to lead the world out of economic recession,” said Kirk. “A great way to get your economy going is to sell more of what you make to the rest of the world.”

In addition, Kirk noted that despite the current mood in Washington, the United States is still doing well, in part due to this initiative.

“I can tell you, ‘Made in America’ is still one of the most treasured brands in the world. We still have far and away the largest consumer economy in the world, and we are still doing very well manufacturing,” Kirk confirmed. “You wouldn’t hear any of this if you read the paper today.”

Despite the initiative’s success, Kirk emphasized the continued importance of convincing the American people of the benefits of trade.

“Our next big thing is we’ve got to convince the 70% of Americans who, when asked, ‘has trade been good for the United States?,’ say emphatically, ‘no’” said Kirk.