Press Release

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Statement on Trade Numbers

WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke issued the following statement on the release of the May 2009 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Today’s report showed that U.S. exports increased by 1.6 percent to $123.3 billion since April 2009. Imports decreased 0.6 percent to $149.3 billion. The goods and services trade deficit has fallen to the lowest level in this decade. Overall, the trade deficit declined by 9.8 percent during the month.

“Today’s numbers remind us of the importance of exports to boosting the U.S. economy,” Secretary Locke said. “I will be traveling to China next week to promote trade opportunities for American companies in the clean energy sector. As countries around the world address climate change, the Commerce Department remains committed to ensuring that U.S. companies can compete globally to provide solutions to these challenges.”

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