FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
Thursday, February 2, 2006 |
202-482-4883 |
U.S. Deputy Secretary Of Commerce Sampson Statement on President Bush’s New Competitiveness Initiatives
DAYTON, Ohio—U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary David A. Sampson today in Dayton, OH echoed President Bush's ambitious agenda to improve America's ability to innovate and maintain a competitive edge in the global market. Deputy Secretary Sampson made the following press statement following a roundtable discussion and tour of NCR.
"President Bush believes that the key to preserving America's economic strength and leadership in the world is by encouraging innovation, in new and better ways. That's the goal of President Bush's new and ambitious strategy that he announced Tuesday night in his State of the Union address.
"The U.S. Commerce Department will play a key role in the President's Competitiveness Initiatives. At Commerce, the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) will:
- Contribute to new cancer therapies, more efficient batteries and smaller computer chips to power our digital devices.
- Contribute to the development of fuel cells to power pollution-free cars as well as methods of storing hydrogen fuel.
- Help researchers develop unbreakable codes to protect electronic financial transactions and strong commitment to research and development of new technology.
"Companies like NCR and its workers have been doing a great job keeping the American economy healthy, vigorous and growing faster than any other major industrial nation. In the last two and a half years, 4.6 million new jobs were created, more than Japan and the European Union combined.
"The President will continue to make policy choices that strengthen our long-term competitive position. But we should start with the confidence that the United States has competitive advantages unavailable to any other economy."
*Later today Deputy Secretary Sampson will meet with the Dayton Development Coalition and leaders of the Dayton community to hear about how Dayton is addressing its economic development challenges and recruiting new companies to the area. He will also preview the new Alien Technology RFID facility opening in Dayton on Monday.