FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 8, 2012
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883

U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson issued the following statement today on the release of the April 2012 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report (PDF) by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. U.S. goods and services exports in April 2012 were down 0.8 percent from March 2012 to reach $182.9 billion.

U.S. goods and services exports year-to-date through the first four months of 2012 were up 6.0 percent or $41.4 billion from the same period of 2011 to reach $725.8 billion.

“U.S. exports posted their second-highest level on record in April, and despite a variety of global economic challenges, exports in the first four months of 2012 continue to exceed their performance of 2011,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson. “At this rate, we are on pace for U.S. exports to exceed $2 trillion for the second year in a row, and are making significant progress to achieving President Obama’s goal of doubling exports by the end of 2014. Exports matter: just last year, exports supported 9.7 million American jobs, and have supported an additional 1.2 million American jobs since 2009.

Manufacturing remains a bright spot, as exports of manufactured goods have increased 9.1 percent year-to-date through April. We must continue to do everything we can to support U.S. companies in selling their goods and services to the 95 percent of the world’s potential consumers who live beyond our borders.”

Exports fact sheet (PDF)