The strength and long-term prosperity of the United States economy are greatly enhanced by American businesses continuing to export goods and services around the world. Indeed, more than 41 million Americans jobs depend on trade, including more than 1.5 million in Pennsylvania. 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 the potential customer base.
Pennsylvania employers are increasingly seeking foreign customers and pursuing exporting opportunities. 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 annually export tens of billions of dollars of goods around the world, typically ranking among the top state exporter of goods in the country.
The PA Chamber supports public policy and initiatives consistent with U.S. trade laws and policy, that promote free and fair trade, open investment, and regulatory cooperation. Specifically, we support:
• Fair and balanced trade agreements that are reciprocal, enforceable, and enhance the competitiveness of Pennsylvania companies;
• Efforts to remove and prevent economically damaging tariffs and mitigate barriers against U.S. exports and provide greater access to imports;
• Efforts to encourage foreign direct investment, which supports more than 300,000 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 without amendment;
• Continued authorization and federal support for the Export-Import Bank of the United States: a selfsustaining 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.
Revised by the Policy Committee. Approved by the Board of Directors on November 18, 2022