Commerce Secretary Evans and CEOs Urge Passage of
Economic Growth and Job Package

 

In a press briefing, Commerce Secretary Don Evans and five newly appointed members of the President's Export Council (PEC) called for Congress to quickly pass President Bush's economic growth and job package.

"It's my hope that Congress will consider the support for the President's plan that I have received from small business owners and workers around the country. Passage of the plan will put more money in the pockets of consumers who have kept America's economy moving," said Evans.

Evans and the PEC members made their plea to Congress following President Bush's first meeting with PEC members.

The President's Export Council is comprised of twenty-seven CEOs appointed by the President and is the premier national advisory committee on international trade. The PEC advises the President through the Secretary of Commerce on government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.

"Twelve million American jobs depend on exports of goods and services. The President's economic growth plan has set the course for a stronger economy that underscores the importance of trade to America's economic growth and prosperity," said Evans. "I believe this President's Export Council will make a big difference. Their hard-earned insight and expertise in various industries and business sectors will make them invaluable powerhouses of advice and counsel to the President," Evans said.