Commerce Secretary Launches National Grassroots Tour To Talk Up Trade

Kansas City, MO - U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans today launched a nationwide grassroots initiative aimed at educating the American people on the benefits of international trade to the U.S. economy.

At a town hall meeting here with Kansas Gov. Bill Graves and Kansas City (KS) Mayor Kay Waldo Barnes, Evans announced that he and other senior officials from his department will carry the initiative to all 50 states during President Bush's first term, educating businessmen and women, workers, and the next generation of entrepreneurs and workers about international trade's positive impact on our economy.

"New markets open new doors of opportunity for our businesses to grow and our workers to prosper," Evans said. "Trade offers a higher quality of life to Americans and people around the world who are our trading partners. The next generation of workers in our country must not lose sight of that fact."

Free trade is among President Bush's top priorities. Evans said the 50-state initiative he launched today will spotlight the often-overlooked contributions trade makes. He pointed out that exports accounted for more than one-fifth of the nation's economic growth during the last decade. He also cited data showing that trade supports 12 million U.S. jobs, and that export-supported jobs pay as much as 18 percent more than the average wage.

To "jump start" the nationwide initiative, Evans announced he intends to personally participate in trade education events in 12 cities by the end of this year. In addition to Kansas City, the tentative sites for Evans' trade education appearances this year include Tampa and Orlando, Fla.; Little Rock, Ark.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Manchester, N.H.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Seattle and Spokane, Wash.; Des Moines, Iowa.