Home   |   Legislative Agenda   |   General Business   |   International Trade & Exporting

INTERNATIONAL TRADE & EXPORTING

The strength and long-term prosperity of the United States economy is fortified by American businesses continuing to export goods and services around the world. Pennsylvania is one of the top exporting states in the country and employers in the Commonwealth are increasingly seeking foreign customers and pursuing exporting opportunities. Engaging in international trade can help companies capitalize on business opportunities when the world economy is growing and remain viable during times of difficult economic conditions by expanding and diversifying the potential customer base. The PA Chamber supports public policy and initiatives that promote free trade, open investment and regulatory cooperation.

Prices of crude oil rise amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—see how it’s impacting the cost of fuel for truck drivers

February 28, 2022 | FOX 43
Read More

BARR: It’s Time U.S. Energy Policy Stops Empowering Russia

February 25, 2022 | Delaware Valley Journal
Read More

Gene Barr: It’s time U.S. energy policy stops empowering Russia

February 24, 2022 | Broad and Liberty
Read More

Memo to PA Congressional Delegation to Support of Bicameral Congressional Authority Trade Act – Jan. 5, 2022

January 05, 2022
Read More

PA Chamber Welcomes US-EU Trade and Technology Council Meeting to Pittsburgh

September 28, 2021 | Lindsay Andrews

PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement regarding tomorrow’s inaugural meeting in Pittsburgh of the United States and European Union Trade and Technology Council: “On behalf of Pennsylvania’s business community, we welcome European Commission Executive Vice Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovski to Pittsburgh to meet with Secretary of State Antony […]

Read More

State & Federal Political Recap

July 12, 2021

Gov. Wolf Holds News Conference in Support of Minimum Wage Increase On Friday, Governor Tom Wolf joined Democratic members of the House and Senate, including House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, in Philadelphia to again call for a raise in Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.  Without regard for the economic consequences of this proposal, Gov. Wolf has repeatedly […]

Read More
The strength and long-term prosperity of the United States economy are greatly enhanced by, and increasingly dependent on, the success of American businesses continuing to export goods and services around the world. Indeed, in the Commonwealth alone more than 1.6 million Pennsylvania jobs depend on international trade. Engaging in international trade can help companies capitalize on business opportunities when the world economy is growing and remain viable during difficult times by expanding and diversifying their customer base.
Pennsylvania employers are increasingly seeking foreign customers and pursuing exporting opportunities and the share of Pennsylvania jobs supported by trade has doubled since the early 1990s. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, thousands of companies export from Pennsylvania, the vast majority of which are small and medium sized employers with fewer than 500 employees. Pennsylvania employers exported $53.2 billion worth of goods around the world in 2024, an increase of 32 percent ($13 billion) from our export level just 10 years ago.
The PA Chamber supports U.S. trade laws and policy that promote free and fair trade, open investment, and regulatory cooperation. While there may be circumstances when targeted tariffs are appropriate to promote national interests, the PA Chamber opposes the imposition of broad-based tariffs, which, according to industry experts and leading economic organizations, such as the Tax Foundation, can raise prices for employers and consumers, reduce available quantities of goods and services, trigger retaliatory tariffs, and impede economic growth.
The PA Chamber supports:
  • Fair and balanced trade agreements that are reciprocal, enforceable, and enhance the competitiveness of Pennsylvania companies;
  • Efforts to encourage foreign direct investment, which supports more than 343,000 jobs in Pennsylvania;
  • Combatting efforts by other countries to exploit U.S. companies through unfair policies, such as counterfeiting and piracy, intellectual property theft, and forced technology transfer;
  • Trade Promotion Authority, which allows the President to negotiate new trade agreements in consultation with lawmakers and then submit the agreement to Congress for an up-or-down vote;
  • Continued authorization and federal support for the Export-Import Bank of the United States: a self-sustaining federal agency that assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets; and
  •  Initiatives that promote the Commonwealth’s business climate and its job creators in order to provide for new trade and investment opportunities, including ensuring that Pennsylvania’s domestic infrastructure is adequate to meet our international trade objectives.

 

 

Approved by the Board of Directors on November 21, 2025.