GAO

United States General Accounting Office

Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee 

on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and 

Human Resources, Committee on 

Government Reform, House of 

Representatives

April 2000 EXPORT 

PROMOTION

Federal Agencies’ 

Activities and 

Resources in Fiscal 

Year 1999

GAO/NSIAD-00-118

Page 1 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Contents

Letter 3

Appendixes Appendix I: Federal Agencies’ Participation in the U.S. Agency for 

International Development’s Global Technology Network 30

Appendix II: Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion Programs and 

Activities in Fiscal Year 1999 33

Appendix III: Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion Activities 

Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 Estimated Expenses and Staffing 

by Country 42

Appendix IV: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 49

Appendix V: Comments From the Department of Commerce 53

Appendix VI: Comments From the U.S. Agency for International 

Development 56

Appendix VII: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 58

Tables Table 1: Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion Activities 11

Table 2: Federal Resources Devoted to Export Promotion Activities

in Fiscal Year 1999 20

Table 3: Federal Agencies’ Overseas Resources Devoted to Export 

Promotion Activities in Fiscal Year 1999 26

Table 4: Federal Agencies’ Participation in the U.S. Agency for 

International Development’s Global Technology Network 30

Figures Figure 1: Agencies’ Share of Federal Dollars Devoted to Export 

Promotion Activities in Fiscal Year 1999 5

Figure 2: Agencies’ Share of Staff Devoted to Export Promotion 

Activities in Fiscal Year 1999 6

Figure 3: Agencies’ Share of Estimated Expenses Devoted to Export 

Promotion Activities at U.S. Overseas Posts in Fiscal Year 1999 7

Figure 4: Agencies’ Share of Staff Devoted to Export Promotion 

Activities at U.S. Overseas Posts in Fiscal Year 1999 8
Page 2 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion
Page 3 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

United States General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

National Security and

International Affairs Division

B-284757 Letr

April 10, 2000

The Honorable John L. Mica

Chairman, Subcommittee on Criminal Justice,

 Drug Policy, and Human Resources

Committee on Government Reform

House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Over the past decade, U.S. businesses have increasingly recognized the 

benefits of competing in the international marketplace, with exports as a 

share of U.S. gross domestic product rising from 6.4 percent in 1988 to 

7.9 percent ($672 billion) in 1998. The U.S. government has a variety of 

programs intended to help businesses promote their products and services 

in overseas markets. At your request, this report (1) identifies the federal 

agencies involved in promoting exports of U.S. goods and services and the 

export promotion activities they perform, (2) provides these agencies’ total 

resources devoted to export promotion in fiscal year 1999, and (3) isolates 

the agencies’ overseas resources devoted to export promotion during this 

period. In addition, we describe how some of these agencies participate in 

a computerized network that provides trade leads from developing 

countries to U.S. exporters.

In defining “export promotion” we focused on programs and activities 

conducted by federal agencies that are meant to facilitate specific export 

transactions, involve direct contact with U.S. exporters, or have export 

promotion as their stated goal.1

 Such programs and activities include 

providing U.S. businesses with information on the export process through 

trade shows, conferences, and seminars; financial assistance in the form of 

loans, loan guarantees, grants, and other monetary contributions; 

1

In some instances, agencies have programs that do not facilitate specific export 

transactions or involve direct contact with exporters but nevertheless have export 

promotion as their stated goal or indirectly promote exports. For example, the Agriculture 

Department’s Market Access Program provides funds to agricultural trade associations, 

state regional groups, state agencies, and cooperatives to support the overseas promotion of 

agricultural goods. In another example, the programs of the Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation promote investment in developing countries, which indirectly facilitates U.S. 

exports. We have therefore included such programs in our report.
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information on foreign markets and trade leads; contacts through trade 

missions and individualized meetings; general business counseling and 

technology-specific advice; and advocacy through official correspondence 

or other forms of government intervention. As agreed with your office, we 

have not assessed whether there is unnecessary overlap among the 

agencies engaged in these activities because doing so would have required 

a more lengthy investigation and on-site visits to U.S. government posts 

overseas. 

Results in Brief Ten federal agencies are involved in export promotion activities: the 

Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, State, and Transportation; 

the Export-Import Bank of the United States; the Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation; the Small Business Administration; the U.S. 

Agency for International Development; and the U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency. All of these agencies help educate U.S. businesses 

about the export process by participating in trade shows and other events; 

seven provide financial assistance to exporters or investors in overseas 

projects; seven provide trade contacts; and six gather and disseminate 

market and/or trade lead information. 

These agencies received approximately $1.9 billion for export promotion 

activities in fiscal year 1999. The Export-Import Bank and the Department 

of Agriculture, agencies that provide direct financial support to U.S. 

exporters, received $1.47 billion, or almost 78 percent, of this amount. 

Another $299 million (16 percent) was received by the Department of 

Commerce, which employed the equivalent of almost 2,000 full-time people 

in these activities during this period. The remaining 6 percent was devoted 

to eight other agencies. Figure 1 illustrates these agencies’ percentage 

share of federal dollars, and figure 2 shows their percentage share of staff 

devoted to export promotion activities. 
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Figure 1: Agencies’ Share of Federal Dollars Devoted to Export Promotion Activities 

in Fiscal Year 1999

Note: “Other” includes the Departments of Energy, State, and Transportation; the Small Business 

Administration; the U.S. Agency for International Development; and the U.S. Trade and Development 

Agency.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.
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Figure 2: Agencies’ Share of Staff Devoted to Export Promotion Activities in Fiscal 

Year 1999

Note 1: Not all staff work full-time on export promotion activities. One full-time equivalent position is 

equal to one person working full-time; two people working half-time; one person working half-time and 

two people working one-quarter-time; etc.

Note 2: “Other” includes the Departments of Energy, State, and Transportation; the Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation; the Small Business Administration; the U.S. Agency for International 

Development; and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. (The Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation was not included in figure 1 because it is authorized to spend funds from the fees it 

collects and the income it earns from Treasury securities. It generally does not receive a direct 

appropriation.)

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Seven agencies devoted approximately $174 million in estimated expenses 

to export promotion activities at U.S. overseas posts in fiscal year 1999. Of 

this amount, about $110 million (63 percent) came from the Commerce 

Department, which devoted the equivalent of over 700 full-time people to 

these activities during this period. The Departments of Agriculture and 

State devoted $48 million (28 percent) and $14 million (8 percent), 

respectively. These expenditures covered salaries and expenses of 

overseas staff and administrative costs associated with overseas facilities. 

Figure 3 illustrates these agencies’ percentage share of estimated expenses, 
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and figure 4 shows their percentage share of staff devoted to export 

promotion activities.

Figure 3: Agencies’ Share of Estimated Expenses Devoted to Export Promotion 

Activities at U.S. Overseas Posts in Fiscal Year 1999

Note: “Other” includes the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. 

Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.
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Figure 4: Agencies’ Share of Staff Devoted to Export Promotion Activities at U.S. 

Overseas Posts in Fiscal Year 1999

Note: “Other” includes the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. 

Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.
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Background In October 1992, Congress passed legislation aimed at coordinating and 

streamlining U.S. export programs and policies.2

 Title II of the Export 

Enhancement Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-429) authorized the creation of an 

interagency body called the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. The 

Export Enhancement Act requires this committee to issue an annual report 

to Congress containing “a governmentwide strategic plan for federal trade 

promotion efforts” and describing the plan’s implementation.3

 According to 

the committee, which uses a broader definition of export promotion than 

the one we are using, 20 federal entities4

 are involved in export promotion 

and/or trade policy. These entities range from large agencies with 

significant resources devoted to exporting, such as the Departments of 

Commerce and Agriculture, to smaller organizations with specific roles in 

the export process, such as the Export-Import Bank and the U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency. They also include sizeable agencies like the U.S. 

Agency for International Development and the Departments of Energy and 

Transportation, whose work may lead to exports but whose primary 

mandates focus on missions other than exporting.

The Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee has been issuing annual 

reports, known as The National Export Strategy, since 1993. Our report 

differs from The National Export Strategy in that it uses a narrower, more 

focused definition of “export promotion.” The programs and activities we 

have focused on exclude many of the broader, indirect activities reported 

on by the committee, such as bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations 

undertaken by the U.S. Trade Representative, the Departments of State and 

the Treasury, and other agencies; the challenging of unfair trade practices 

by the U.S. Trade Representative, the Labor Department, and other 

agencies; and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s efforts to 

raise living standards in developing countries and transitional economies—

2

A January 1992 GAO report had found that federal export promotion activities were 

fragmented among numerous agencies and lacked any governmentwide strategy or 

priorities. See Export Promotion: Federal Programs Lack Organizational and Funding 

Cohesiveness (GAO/NSIAD-92-49, Jan. 10, 1992).

3

We are not commenting on the strategic plan in this report. For our previous discussions of 

how this plan could be more effective in creating a streamlined approach to promoting U.S. 

exports, see Export Promotion: Issues for Assessing the Governmentwide Strategy 

(GAO/T-NSIAD-98-105, Feb. 26, 1998) and National Export Strategy (GAO/NSIAD-96-132R, 

Mar. 26, 1996). 

4

One of these entities, the U.S. Information Agency, has since become part of the State 

Department.
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Page 10 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

activities that help create sustainable markets in the long run. This is the 

reason why we refer to 10 agencies involved in export promotion, while the 

committee identified 20.

In addition, our report differs from The National Export Strategy in several 

other important respects:

• It includes staffing data.

• It isolates resources associated with agencies’ export promotion 

presence overseas and provides an allocation of resources by country.

• It describes certain export promotion activities not previously or 

currently reported in The National Export Strategy.

5

Ten Agencies Provide 

Export Promotion 

Services

Ten federal agencies perform a variety of activities that help U.S. exporters 

advance their sales. We have organized these activities into six major 

categories: education, financing and other monetary assistance, contacts, 

information gathering and dissemination, technical assistance, and 

advocacy (see table 1). All of these agencies participate in educating 

exporters about the export process; seven provide monetary assistance; 

seven help exporters make contacts with potential buyers; six gather and 

disseminate information about foreign markets; five provide 

industry-specific or other technical assistance; and five advocate on behalf 

of U.S. businesses with foreign officials. Some agencies are more involved 

than others in providing these services. For example, the Departments of 

Agriculture and Commerce are involved in all six types of activities, and the 

Small Business Administration is involved in five. 

5

For example, these include export counseling, technical assistance, and grants for trade 

promotion facilities provided by Commerce Department units outside of the International 

Trade Administration, and other activities.
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Table 1: Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion Activities

Export promotion activity DOC DOE DOT EXIM OPIC SBA STATE TDA

USAID/

GTN

USDA/

FAS

Education

Outreach at trade events through seminars, 

panels, booths, etc.

XXXXXXXXX X

Counseling X X X X

Formal export training course X X

Total agencies involved in education XXXXXXXXX X

Financing & other monetary assistance

Loans and loan guarantees for wide variety of 

exports

X

Long-term loans and loan guarantees 

connected with overseas investment

X

Loan guarantees for agricultural exports X X

Loan guarantees for small businesses only X

Long-term loan guarantees for building ships X

Subsidies X

Grants for economic adjustment and other 

assistance

X

Grants for feasibility studies and related 

project-specific services

X

Long-term investment insurance X

Short- and medium-term insurance for export 

sales

X

Total agencies involved in financial 

assistance

X XXXX X X

Contacts

Trade missions X X X X X X

Reverse trade missions X X X X X

Customized contacts X X X

Total agencies involved in contacts XXX XXX X

Information gathering and dissemination

Market research X X X X X

Sector research X X X X X

Trade leads X X X X X

Total agencies involved in information 

gathering and dissemination

XX XX X X

Continued
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Legend

DOC = Department of Commerce

DOE = Department of Energy

DOT = Department of Transportation

EXIM = Export-Import Bank 

OPIC = Overseas Private Investment Corporation

SBA = Small Business Administration

STATE = State Department

TDA = U.S. Trade and Development Agency

USAID/GTN = U.S. Agency for International Development/Global Technology Network

USDA/FAS = U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Educational Activities All the agencies participate in educational activities that help U.S. 

businesses learn about the export process.6

 The Commerce Department 

maintains a network of over 100 Export Assistance Centers throughout the 

country, including 19 “U.S. Export Assistance Centers” in major cities run 

jointly by the Commerce Department, the Export-Import Bank, and the 

Small Business Administration.7

 Agency officials at these centers provide 

Technical assistance

General (business plans, etc.) X X X

Industry/Technology specific X X X X

Total agencies involved in technical 

assistance

XXX X X

Advocacy for U.S. firms

Correspondence and contacts with foreign 

government officials

XXXX X

Total agencies involved in advocacy XXXX X

Export promotion activity DOC DOE DOT EXIM OPIC SBA STATE TDA

USAID/

GTN

USDA/

FAS

Continued from Previous Page

6

Two officials at the Treasury Department spend a small fraction of their time educating U.S. 

companies about business opportunities with the multilateral development banks and 

responding to inquiries concerning specific bank projects in developing countries. The 

multilateral development banks include the World Bank Group and the Inter-American 

Development Bank Group in the United States, the African Development Bank Group in the 

Ivory Coast, the Asian Development Bank in the Philippines, and the European Bank for 

Reconstruction and Development in the United Kingdom. These banks promote economic 

growth and the development of market economies by providing loans and loan guarantees 

to developing countries and transitional economies.

7

For more information on how these centers are serving U.S. exporters, see Export 

Promotion: U.S. Export Assistance Centers Seek to Improve Services (GAO/NSIAD-99-180, 

June 25, 1999).
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Page 13 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

counseling to businesses on all aspects of the export process, including 

how to market their products abroad and how to obtain financing. The 

Commerce Department also maintains a Trade Information Center in 

Washington, D.C., which provides counseling to businesses on how to find 

and use government programs and guides them through the export 

process. The Small Business Administration provides similar counseling 

through its national network of Small Business Development Centers. In 

addition, agencies send officials to speak at trade seminars and 

conferences and to speak or staff booths at forums where exporters display 

their products or services. For example, the Export-Import Bank holds an 

annual conference attended by exporters and bankers interested in finding 

out about government programs. Officials from the Commerce 

Department, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency regularly speak at this conference. 

Two agencies, the Commerce Department and the Small Business 

Administration, have developed formal export training courses. The 

“Export-Trade Assistance Partnership” course developed by the Small 

Business Administration is currently offered at many of the 19 U.S. Export 

Assistance Centers around the country. The course developed by the 

Commerce Department, called the “Market Entry Program,” is geared 

toward minority-owned companies and is being taught in 18 cities, 11 of 

which also host U.S. Export Assistance Centers. According to Commerce 

Department officials, attempts are made to combine the courses in 

locations where both are offered.
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Financial and Other 

Monetary Assistance

Seven agencies assist exporters or investors with financing, insurance, 

subsidies, and/or grants: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and 

Transportation; the Export-Import Bank; the Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation; the Small Business Administration; and the U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency. Financing (loans and loan guarantees) helps 

businesses buy or produce U.S. goods or services for export; assists foreign 

buyers in paying for U.S. exports; assures that U.S. exporters and/or 

lenders will be paid; or contributes to the viability of overseas investments 

that may generate U.S. exports over time. Insurance protects exporters and 

investors against commercial and/or political risk.8

 Subsidy programs, such 

as the Department of Agriculture’s Export Enhancement Program and 

Dairy Export Incentive Program, make cash payments available to U.S. 

exporters of commodities like frozen broilers and milk powder so they can 

lower their prices in targeted markets and compete with local producers 

who are receiving payments from their governments. Grants are funds that 

generally do not have to be repaid. 

Of the seven agencies that provide financial assistance, each offers a 

specific type. For example, the Export-Import Bank, which is wholly 

devoted to providing monetary assistance to U.S. exporters, provides 

short-term (up to 1 year) loan guarantees for U.S. exporters that help 

finance their pre-export costs (buying or producing goods or services for 

export). It also provides insurance for U.S. exporters that covers 

commercial and political risk. The insurance generally covers up to a 1-year 

period, but can cover up to 7 years depending on the value of the export 

contract. In addition, it provides long-term (up to 10 years in most cases)9

loans and loan guarantees to foreign buyers of U.S. exports or their banks. 

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation assists U.S. investors with 

projects in developing countries and transitional economies, which often 

result in U.S. exports to these parts of the world. It provides long-term (up 

to 20 years) insurance to these investors against political risk. It also offers 

long-term (5-15 years) loans and loan guarantees for costs connected with 

investments in developing countries. The U.S. Trade and Development 

Agency provides partial funding for engineering and other studies assessing 

8

Commercial risk includes nonpayment of goods or services sold. Political risk includes war 

and other forms of political violence; seizure of assets by foreign governments; and the 

inability to convert foreign currency into dollars or other globally traded currencies, such as 

pounds or yen.

9

Longer terms are available for financing large aircraft or power plants.
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Page 15 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

the viability of projects aimed at raising living standards in developing 

countries and transitional economies and generating U.S. exports. U.S. 

exporters can obtain complementary services from these three agencies for 

different stages of the same project. For example, the U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency may provide partial funding of an initial study; the 

Overseas Private Investment Corporation may provide financing or 

insurance for a subsequent investment in an overseas project; and the 

Export-Import Bank may help finance U.S. exports of equipment and 

machinery associated with the investment.

Three agencies provide loan guarantees to specific groups of exporters: the 

Small Business Administration and the Departments of Agriculture and 

Transportation. The Small Business Administration provides pre-export 

loan guarantees for small businesses in amounts below $833,333. (The 

Export-Import Bank provides pre-export loan guarantees to businesses of 

all sizes, including small businesses, but in amounts above $833,333.) 

Similarly, the Department of Agriculture provides specialized loan 

guarantee programs for commodities such as grain and meat, and the 

Department of Transportation provides loan guarantees for construction in 

U.S. shipyards of vessels for export. According to Export-Import Bank 

officials, the Bank does not compete with these programs, since it generally 

offers shorter repayment periods for these items.10

The Commerce Department, through its Economic Development 

Administration, provides grants for projects in communities affected by 

government cutbacks (for example, military base closures). In recent 

years, these projects have included several world trade centers, which host 

export-related events. In addition, the Commerce Department’s Trade 

Development unit offers matching funds for export-related activities to 

trade associations, states, chambers of commerce, world trade centers, and 

other entities. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency also provides 

grants, but its grants are restricted to feasibility studies for overseas 

projects. (A feasibility study assesses the cost and other factors involved in 

10The Export-Import Bank provides financing for agricultural products at terms of up to 

1 year, whereas the Agriculture Department provides financing at terms of up to 3 years for 

many commodities and up to 10 years for others, such as breeder livestock. Export-Import 

Bank officials stated that the Bank generally provides financing for agricultural products 

only when money appropriated by Congress for Agriculture Department financing programs 

has been used up. Regarding shipbuilding, the Export-Import Bank officials said the Bank 

would provide terms of up to 8.5 years; however, they did not recall the last time the Bank 

financed the export sale of a ship. The Department of Transportation provides financing for 

shipbuilding at terms of up to 25 years.
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deciding whether to proceed with a proposed project, such as building a 

power plant.) 

Contacts for Future 

Business Opportunities

Seven agencies help exporters by providing contacts that may lead to sales. 

They do this through sending U.S. companies on trade missions abroad or 

organizing reverse trade missions, in which potential foreign buyers are 

brought to the United States, and by setting up meetings for individual 

companies.

The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, State, and 

Transportation, as well as the Small Business Administration, lead or set up 

overseas trips for U.S. companies. The Commerce Department’s 

International Trade Administration is the most active government entity in 

this area, and supports a number of trade missions annually, including 56 in 

fiscal year 1999. These missions are led by the Secretary of Commerce, 

other Department officials, state governors, or U.S. businesses. For 

example, in 1999, the Secretary of Commerce led an interagency delegation 

to a “Commercial Opportunities and Partnerships” conference in 

southeastern Europe. The Department of Transportation led almost a 

dozen U.S. executives on a business development mission to Brazil, Chile, 

and Peru. The Small Business Administration, through its Office of 

International Trade, organized a trip to Mexico funded by participating U.S. 

businesses. Similarly, the Department of Energy helped U.S. companies 

specializing in energy efficiency technologies participate in trade missions 

to China, Mexico, Japan, and Thailand. Some of these agencies have also 

coordinated their efforts with the Commerce Department. Officials from 

the Department of Transportation have accompanied Commerce 

Department officials on trips, and the Small Business Administration has 

used the Commerce Department’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service to 

set up meetings overseas for the companies participating in its trade 

missions. Several of these agencies also conduct reverse trade missions, as 

does the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. 

Whereas trade and reverse trade missions provide general opportunities for 

groups of companies, customized contacts are tailored to the needs of 

individual businesses. The three agencies with the largest overseas 

presence devoted to export promotion—the Departments of Agriculture, 

Commerce, and State—have the resources to offer this service. As reported 

to us, State Department officials provide the service at locations where 

Agriculture and/or Commerce Department officials are not present.
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The Commerce Department and other agencies enhance trade contacts 

with related educational services, such as helping companies with market 

entry strategies and sponsoring trade fairs and marketing seminars. With 

the advent of the internet and electronic commerce, the Commerce 

Department is also in the process of adding “virtual” variations to 

traditional trade missions. In addition, the Small Business Administration 

has recently launched an internet-based service called “Trade Mission

On-Line,” which is an electronic compendium of prospective small 

business exporters.

Information About Foreign 

Markets Collected and 

Disseminated

The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and State, as well as 

the Small Business Administration, gather information on foreign markets, 

industry sectors, and sales leads from potential buyers. This information is 

collected by officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and 

State stationed overseas. Commerce Department officials concentrate on 

nonagricultural sectors, and State Department officials generally provide 

background analyses of foreign markets and industry sectors at locations 

where Commerce Department officials are not present. In addition, the U.S. 

Agency for International Development maintains a computerized database, 

called the Global Technology Network, that automatically matches U.S. 

companies with leads from potential foreign buyers in developing 

countries. (For more information on this network, see app. I).
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The information obtained from these agencies is put into the Commerce 

Department’s National Trade Data Bank, which serves as a single 

repository for all federal international trade information. The Commerce 

Department’s Trade Information Center acts as a clearinghouse for the 

National Trade Data Bank and other information of value to exporters. It 

directs businesses to market research and trade leads, provides 

information on overseas and domestic trade events, and tells companies 

how to access reports and statistics from the National Trade Data Bank.11

The Agriculture Department also disseminates the agricultural trade 

information it collects to a list of 2,800 farmers and other suppliers and to 

state agricultural organizations across the country, which in turn distribute 

the information to even larger lists of local farmers. In addition, the Small 

Business Administration is making an international trade database 

available to U.S. companies at 171 Small Business Development Centers 

around the country. The database, called the “International Trade Data 

Network,” was created and is maintained by the Rhode Island Export 

Assistance Center in Smithfield, RI. The network collects trade-related 

information from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and State, as 

well as from other government entities and from private sources.12

Other Assistance Provided Five agencies provide technical assistance by helping companies design 

business plans or industry-specific approaches to exporting. For example, 

retired business executives working with the Small Business 

Administration can show individual companies how to set up a business. 

The Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Transportation, as well as 

industry specialists at the Department of Commerce, offer industry-specific 

services or advice (such as showing foreign governments how U.S. energy 

or transportation technologies work.) The Agriculture Department also 

helps agricultural industry representatives improve their general business 

plans to enhance their exports to foreign markets.

Five agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, State, and 

Transportation; and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation—

advocate on behalf of U.S. businesses. The Commerce Department has an 

11The National Trade Data Bank is available via the internet for a fee. It is also available free 

of charge at Commerce’s Trade Information Center and at libraries designated as 

depositories of information generated by the federal government. Such libraries are usually 

affiliated with universities.

12This network can also be accessed via the internet for a fee.
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Page 19 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

“Advocacy Center” that helps U.S. companies bidding on foreign contracts. 

Assistance provided by the center can include a visit to a key foreign 

official by a high-ranking U.S. government official or by U.S. officials 

stationed overseas, or letters to foreign decisionmakers, according to 

information made available by the center. For example, in coordination 

with this center, the Department of Transportation has generated several 

letters on behalf of U.S. companies bidding on airport construction projects 

in China. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation advocates on 

behalf of U.S. businesses when foreign governments engage in activities 

that could potentially lead to a political risk insurance claim. In its 

comments, the Commerce Department stated that a body called the “Trade 

Promotion Coordinating Committee Advocacy Network” serves as the 

federal government’s main coordinating body for advocacy.

Export-Import Bank, 

Agriculture, Commerce 

Account for Bulk of 

Resources Devoted to 

Export Promotion

Of the $1.888 billion devoted to export promotion activities in fiscal year 

1999, almost 78 percent was received by the two agencies that provided the 

greatest amount of financial assistance to U.S. exporters: the 

Export-Import Bank and the Department of Agriculture. The Export-Import 

Bank received the largest appropriation for this purpose in fiscal year 

1999—$812 million. The Agriculture Department was second, with 

$658 million—$589 million in appropriations for specific programs, which 

provide subsidies, financing, cost-sharing, or other forms of monetary 

assistance; and an estimated $69 million in administrative and other costs 

associated with these programs and additional export services, which were 

paid for from the Foreign Agricultural Service’s fiscal year 1999 

appropriation for salaries and expenses. Approximately 16 percent of the 

$1.888 billion total—$299 million—went to the Commerce Department, 

which does not fund any significant financial assistance programs for 

exporters but devotes more staff to promoting exports than any other 

agency. In fiscal year 1999, it filled 1,967 full-time equivalent positions for 

this purpose. The Export-Import Bank ranked second in staff devoted to 

export promotion, with 414 full-time equivalent positions filled by people 

administering loans, guarantees, and insurance in fiscal year 1999. The 

Agriculture Department was third, with 409. Table 2 contains a listing of 10 

agencies’ resources devoted to export promotion activities. (See app. II for 

more detailed information on this data, including a description of each 

agency’s export promotion programs and activities.)
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Table 2: Federal Resources Devoted to Export Promotion Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

a

In those instances in which there were no specific appropriations for export promotion activities, we 

used portions of appropriated funds estimated by agency officials or funds obligated by the agency for 

export promotion activities in fiscal year 1999. These funds could be used for export promotion as well 

as other activities, but the appropriations language did not identify the portion to be used for export 

promotion. Amounts that an agency has set aside or committed to pay are referred to in this report as 

obligated.”

b

The 251 figure for staff does not represent full-time equivalent positions filled, but positions budgeted, 

some of which may not be full-time and some of which may have gone unfilled. This is the best 

estimate of full-time equivalent positions devoted to export promotion activities filled in fiscal year 1999 

that the State Department could provide.

c

In order to avoid double counting, we subtracted 10.3 full-time equivalent positions filled by 

Department of Commerce and State employees in fiscal year 1999.

d

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation is authorized to spend funds from the fees it collects 

and the income it earns from Treasury securities. It generally does not receive a direct appropriation.

e

The total budget figure does not include the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Agency Budget

Staff

(full-time

equivalent

positions) Type of fundsa

Export-Import Bank $812,000,000 414 Appropriated; includes $10,000,000 transferred from 

the U.S. Agency for International Development

Agriculture 658,169,396 409 $589,320,000 appropriated for specific programs; 

$68,849,396 from other appropriations estimated for 

export promotion activities

Commerce 298,590,000 1,967 $270,390,000 appropriated for specific agency units; 

$28,200,000 from other appropriations estimated for 

export promotion activities

U.S. Trade and Development Agency 59,000,000 39 $44,000,000 appropriated for agency; $15,000,000 

transferred to agency from other sources

Stateb 24,594,000 251 Appropriated

Transportation 17,288,000 3 Obligated

Small Business Administration 11,300,000 38 $5,000,000 appropriated for specific activities; 

$6,300,000 from other appropriations estimated for 

export promotion activities

Energy 4,113,857 3 $1,200,000 appropriated for energy efficiency program; 

$2,913,857 obligated for export promotion activities 

involving fossil fuels

U.S. Agency for International 

Development/Global Technology Networkc

2,807,700 94 Obligated

Overseas Private Investment Corporationd (175,000,000) 190 Authorized

Totale $1,887,862,953 3,408
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Page 21 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Majority of Export 

Promotion Funds Devoted 

to Financial Assistance 

Programs Provided by Two 

Agencies

The Export-Import Bank in fiscal year 1999 received $825 million in 

appropriations for loans and insurance for U.S. exporters and loans and 

loan guarantees for foreign buyers. This amount included $50 million in 

appropriations for employee salaries and benefits, and other administrative 

expenses, and $10 million transferred from the U.S. Agency for 

International Development to help with exports of emergency supplies to 

Central America in the wake of Hurricane Mitch. According to an official 

from the Office of Management and Budget, the Bank’s net appropriation of 

$812 million also included $13 million in offsetting receipts from loan and 

guarantee fees and insurance premiums.
B-284757

Page 22 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

The Agriculture Department’s $658 million in fiscal year 1999 export 

promotion funds helped U.S. exporters in a variety of ways. For example, 

$325.8 million appropriated for its General Sales Manager Programs made 

loan guarantees available to foreign banks for the purchase of U.S. grain 

and other commodities. Its Dairy Export Incentive and Export 

Enhancement Programs, for which a total of $146 million was appropriated 

in fiscal year 1999, provided exporters of milk and other commodities with 

cash payments that allowed them to charge lower, more competitive prices 

in foreign markets. Its Market Access Program ($90 million) helped small 

businesses, nonprofit trade organizations, and other entities fund 

promotions of consumer (that is, brand name) products abroad. The 

Department’s Foreign Market Development Program ($27.5 million) 

assisted nonprofit agricultural trade associations by sharing the cost of 

market research and other activities that improve their access to foreign 

markets. In addition, the Agriculture Department paid for other export 

services from the Foreign Agricultural Service’s fiscal year 1999 

appropriation for salaries and expenses. These services included providing 

trade leads obtained from Department officials stationed at overseas posts; 

promoting U.S. exports of agricultural goods and services to low- and 

middle-income countries through market research, specialized training, 

and other activities; providing lists of foreign buyers and U.S. suppliers; 

providing advertising space (for a small fee) in a biweekly newsletter 

distributed to over 18,000 potential buyers in 65 countries; organizing trade 

shows and trade missions; and providing export counseling.13

Commerce Department 

Resources Provide a Variety 

of Services

The Commerce Department’s $299 million appropriated in fiscal year 1999 

for export promotion activities was allocated primarily to three units 

within the Department. Its U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, which 

provides U.S. companies with market research, trade leads, contacts, trade 

missions, trade shows, and export counseling at overseas posts and 

locations across the country, received $184 million, or about 60 percent of 

the total. This unit also accounted for 1,284 (65 percent) of the 1,967

13These programs and activities do not include $829.85 million appropriated in fiscal 

year 1999 for the Public Law 480 Title I food aid program. This program provides financing 

at below-market interest rates for U.S. exports of agricultural commodities to developing 

countries and private entities. Although its stated goal is to give priority to “those 

developing countries which have demonstrated the potential to become commercial 

markets,” we have found that its importance in helping develop long-term U.S. agricultural 

markets has not been demonstrated. (See Food Aid: Competing Goals and Requirements 

Hinder Title I Program Results (GAO/GGD-95-68, June 26, 1995), p. 5.
B-284757

Page 23 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

full-time equivalent positions filled by Commerce Department employees 

engaged in export promotion activities during this period. The 

Department’s Trade Development unit, which advocates for U.S. businesses 

in global competition for overseas contracts, received $60.4 million 

(20 percent) and filled 407 full-time equivalent positions. Its Market Access 

and Compliance unit, which helps exporters identify barriers to foreign 

markets and the means to overcome them, received $26.3 million 

(9 percent) and filled 178 full-time equivalent positions. Six other 

Commerce units devoted about 5 percent or less of their resources to 

promoting exports.

Services Provided by Other 

Agencies Account for the 

Remaining Funds

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency received $44 million in 

appropriations in fiscal year 1999. This money is for funding feasibility 

studies for projects in developing countries and transitional economies that 

lead to U.S. exports. The agency also received an additional $15 million in 

transfers from funds provided to carry out the Support for East European 

Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 (P.L. 101-179) and the FREEDOM Support 

Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-511) for activities in the Balkans and the newly 

independent states of the former Soviet Union.

The State Department received $25 million in appropriations in fiscal 

year 1999 to conduct business services—advocacy of U.S. business 

interests to foreign governments, counseling, and market analysis—and to 

support the export promotion efforts of other U.S. government agencies at 

overseas posts. These activities were carried out by the Department’s 

regional bureaus (which include foreign service officers stationed abroad) 

and its Bureau for Economic and Business Affairs.

Approximately $11.3 million of the Small Business Administration’s 

appropriations during this period was devoted to export promotion 

activities: support and oversight of the agency’s activities at the U.S. Export 

Assistance Centers, educating small businesses about the export process, 

delivering export financing, gathering and disseminating trade leads and 

other export-related information, organizing trade missions, and 

conducting other activities through its own staff and a network of local 

organizations. According to an agency official, $1 million of these funds 

was a congressionally mandated line item to make the Rhode Island Export 

Assistance Center’s International Trade Data Network available to small 

businesses at locations across the country.
B-284757

Page 24 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

The Department of Transportation in fiscal year 1999 approved the 

issuance of loan guarantees for three projects involving the export of ships 

built in the United States. According to Department officials, under the 

Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508, Title XIII), the Department 

was required to set aside $17 million for these projects. In addition, 

approximately $250,000 in administrative expenses was allocated to these 

projects. Similarly, the Department of Energy set aside approximately 

$2.9 million for export projects during this period. These projects included 

promoting U.S. coal, oil, and gas technologies in China. The Energy 

Department also received an appropriation of $1.2 million for promoting 

exports of energy-efficient technologies.

In the absence of any specific appropriations to the U.S. Agency for 

International Development for export promotion projects in fiscal 

year 1999, this agency set aside approximately $2.8 million to pay U.S. and 

overseas-based contractors for gathering and disseminating trade leads in 

connection with its Global Technology Network, a computerized database 

that automatically matches U.S. companies with leads from potential 

foreign buyers.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation was established to operate 

on a self-sustaining basis. Therefore, according to agency officials, it 

annually reports “net negative budget authority,” which is the amount by 

which its sources of funds (insurance premiums and interest earned on 

Treasury securities) exceed its uses of funds. For fiscal year 1999, it 

reported net negative budget authority of $175 million for promoting U.S. 

investments in developing countries and transitional economies.
B-284757

Page 25 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Commerce, 

Agriculture, and State 

Maintain the Largest 

Overseas Presence 

Devoted to Promoting 

U.S. Exports

Agency officials from seven agencies (the Departments of Agriculture, 

Commerce, and State; the Export-Import Bank; the Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation; the U.S. Agency for International Development; 

and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency) estimated that expenses 

connected with export promotion activities conducted overseas came to 

$174 million in fiscal year 1999.14 As shown in table 3, the Commerce 

Department, which maintains the largest overseas presence devoted to 

export promotion, had 708 full-time people stationed around the globe in 

fiscal year 1999 and accounted for $109.7 million in estimated expenses 

(63 percent). The Agriculture Department’s overseas staff and expenses in 

fiscal year 1999 were less than half that, or 246 full-time people and 

$47.7 million. The State Department in fiscal year 1999 estimated that it 

spent $14.3 million on export promotion activities overseas, with the 

equivalent of 217 people working full-time on these activities.15 The 

remaining four agencies together accounted for 1 percent of estimated 

expenses and 3 percent of staff. These agencies’ expenses include salaries 

and benefits, housing, travel, and administrative and other costs. (See 

app. III for a country-by-country allocation of these resources.)

14This amount is included in the $1.888 billion in total funds devoted to export promotion 

activities during this period.

15This information is based on reports from 196 (85 percent) of 230 State Department posts 

overseas and includes all U.S. embassies in capital cities.
B-284757

Page 26 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Table 3: Federal Agencies’ Overseas Resources Devoted to Export Promotion 

Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

a

These budget figures are estimates of actual costs. The costs consist of salaries and expenses for 

agency officials stationed overseas in fiscal year 1999 and involved in export promotion activities. We 

used estimates of actual costs, because there are no specific appropriations for these costs.

b

Of 230 posts, 196 (85 percent) responded to our request for information and are included in this 

figure.

c

In order to avoid double counting, we subtracted 10.3 full-time equivalent positions filled by 

Department of Commerce and State employees in fiscal year 1999.

d

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, and the U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency each have one U.S. employee stationed at a Caspian Trade and Investment 

Center in Turkey. The budget for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation includes funding for the 

operation of the center. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency also has an employee stationed in 

the Philippines.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and State gather 

market information and trade leads and assist U.S. companies through 

trade missions, counseling, buyer contacts, and other activities. The 

Commerce Department officials focus on nonagricultural sectors, and the 

State Department officials render most of their assistance in locations 

where neither Commerce nor Agriculture Department officials are present. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development set aside approximately 

$1 million in fiscal year 1999 to pay 29 contractors who worked full-time 

gathering trade leads in developing countries for its Global Technology 

Network. An additional 28 people—private contractors and officials from 

Agency Budgeta

Staff (full-time

equivalent positions)

Commerce $109,719,194 708

Agriculture 47,708,396 246

Stateb 14,301,742 217

U.S. Agency for International Development/

Global Technology Networkc 1,077,700 34

Overseas Private Investment Corporationd 388,111 1

U.S. Trade and Development Agency 352,903 2

Export-Import Bank 151,530 1

Energy 0 0

Small Business Administration 0 0

Transportation 0 0

Total $173,699,576 1,209
B-284757

Page 27 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

the Departments of Commerce and State, some working full-time and some 

part-time—were paid primarily by other sources.

One official each from the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency was 

stationed at a Caspian Trade and Investment Center in Turkey in fiscal year 

1999. These officials spent all their time helping U.S. exporters and 

investors with financing and insurance in the oil-rich Caspian Sea region. 

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency also had an export promotion 

official stationed in the Philippines during this period.

Agency Comments We obtained comments on a draft of this report from the 11 agencies 

discussed in the report, and from the Office of Management and Budget. 

Nine agencies provided oral comments, while the Department of 

Commerce and the U.S. Agency for International Development provided 

written comments. All the agencies generally agreed with the information 

presented and made some technical corrections, which we incorporated as 

appropriate. (See app. IV—scope and methodology—for a list of the agency 

officials who submitted comments.)

In its comments, the Commerce Department expressed concern that we 

had combined a discussion of services provided by “core” export 

promotion agencies (such as the Commerce Department) with those of 

“secondary” export promotion agencies. We have added information to the 

report to point out that the Commerce Department is the most active 

provider of certain export promotion services, and we have provided 

additional examples of the Department’s activities. In addition, the 

Commerce Department was concerned that we did not highlight certain of 

its activities that help businesses make trade contacts, such as developing 

market entry strategies, statistical data, and analyses; sponsoring trade 

fairs and marketing seminars; and providing export counseling at overseas 

posts and through its network of domestic offices. We have added a 

discussion of some of these activities; the rest are discussed in the 

appropriate sections of the report. The Commerce Department’s comments 

are included in their entirety as appendix V.

The U.S. Agency for International Development agreed with the 

information presented in the report and clarified the role of the Global 

Technology Network. The agency’s comments are included in their entirety 

as appendix VI.
B-284757

Page 28 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional 

Committees and to the heads of each of the agencies discussed in this 

report. In addition, we are also sending copies of the report to the 

Honorable Jacob J. Lew, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, 

and to other interested parties. We will also make copies available to others 

on request.

Please contact me on (202) 512-3655 if you or your staff have any questions 

about this report. Another GAO contact and staff acknowledgments are 

listed in appendix VII.

Sincerely yours,

Susan S. Westin, Associate Director

International Relations and Trade Issues
Page 29 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion
Page 30 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix I

Federal Agencies’ Participation in the U.S. Apendxies

Agency for International Development’s 

Global Technology Network ApendxiI

The U.S. Agency for International Development has created a database of 

trade leads called the “Global Technology Network.” This database 

automatically matches and communicates leads on possible export sales 

from over 50 developing countries in four key sectors—agriculture, 

communication and information, environment and energy, and health—to 

about 3,500 registered U.S. companies. According to the U.S. Agency for 

International Development, the network’s primary purpose is to facilitate 

the transfer of U.S. technology and services to address development needs 

in these four sectors. Seven federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for 

International Development, participate in the database: six input and/or 

disseminate trade leads, and four provide linkages with export financing 

and other programs. (Three of these four provide linkages and 

input/disseminate trade leads.) See table 4 for these agencies’ participation 

in the network.

Table 4: Federal Agencies’ Participation in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Global Technology Network

Legend

DOC = Department of Commerce

DOE = Department of Energy

DOT = Department of Transportation

EXIM = Export-Import Bank

OPIC = Overseas Private Investment Corporation

SBA = Small Business Administration

STATE = State Department

TDA = U.S. Trade and Development Agency

USAID = U.S. Agency for International Development 

USDA/FAS = U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

DOC DOE DOT EXIM OPIC SBA STATE TDA USAID

USDA/

FAS

Participation in the 

Global Technology 

Network

Inputing and/or 

disseminating trade 

lead data

XX XX XX

Linkage with 

financing and/or 

other export 

assistance programs

X XX X
Appendix I

Federal Agencies’ Participation in the U.S. 

Agency for International Development’s 

Global Technology Network

Page 31 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and State; the Small 

Business Administration; and the U.S. Agency for International 

Development input leads from potential foreign buyers into the database 

and/or disseminate leads from the database to wider lists of exporters. The 

Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, the Export-Import Bank, and 

the Small Business Administration provide U.S. companies using the 

database with financing and/or other export assistance programs. They 

facilitate this assistance by means of electronic links from the database to 

their websites. In addition, Global Technology Network officials have 

provided training on how to use their database to export counselors at 

17 of the 19 U.S. Export Assistance Centers across the country. 

The network uses “push” technology to match U.S. companies with 

potential foreign buyers of their products or services. This technology 

works as follows. When U.S. companies register to participate in the 

database, which is free, they can designate up to 17 different codes 

categorizing the nature of their products or services. When potential 

foreign buyers submit leads to the system, they indicate the codes they are 

interested in. The system uses the codes to match potential buyers with 

U.S. registrants. Within 48 hours, the system automatically emails or faxes 

the U.S. companies information about the foreign entities seeking to buy 

their products or services. It is then up to the U.S. companies receiving this 

information to contact the entities and notify the network if they have 

closed a deal. The network complements this electronic matching service 

by providing counseling to U.S. companies and importing country entities 

relating to specific leads and by offering travel grants1

 to U.S. companies 

and importing entities to help them pursue the leads. Each lead is updated 

every 3 weeks until a contract for a sale is signed. According to the Director 

of the Global Technology Network, about 100 new leads are received each 

month. The total number of leads received in fiscal year 1999 was 1,443.2

In fiscal year 1999, 57 people3 employed by U.S. Agency for International 

Development contractors, the Commerce Department, and the State 

1

The U.S. Agency for International Development obligated $15,000 for such grants in fiscal 

year 1999.

2

Seven hundred twenty (50 percent) of these leads came from Latin America, primarily from 

Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico; 556 (39 percent) came from Asia, primarily from India, Korea, 

and the Philippines.

3

Some worked full-time and some worked part-time.
Appendix I

Federal Agencies’ Participation in the U.S. 

Agency for International Development’s 

Global Technology Network

Page 32 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Department gathered leads in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin 

America. (App. II details how many people worked for which agency and 

what percentage of their time was spent gathering leads for the network, 

and app. III shows the countries in which they worked.) Network 

representatives have also trained officials from U.S. and foreign 

nongovernmental organizations and other entities to input leads directly 

into the system. In addition, the Department of Energy submits leads for 

small power projects in Eastern Europe. The Department of Agriculture, 

which does not have staff stationed in some of the smaller African and 

Eastern European countries covered by the network, disseminates leads 

from the network to U.S. commodity exporters. The Agriculture 

Department is currently working with network officials to have agricultural 

officers stationed overseas collect leads on joint ventures and market 

opportunities in countries where network representatives are not present. 

Officials from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency stated that the trade 

lead service is not relevant to their activities because they focus on the 

initial stage of the overseas trade process—feasibility studies—and trade 

leads do not come into play until months or years later. Officials from the 

Overseas Private Investment Corporation noted that their agency has 

worked with the network on a project in Africa and consulted with network 

representatives in other regions. The Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation is currently considering a memorandum of understanding with 

the U.S. Agency for International Development to share investment-related 

information through the network.
Page 33 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999 ApendxiI

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Export-Import Bank

Programs These programs provide loans, loan 

guarantees, and insurance for U.S. 

exports 

$765,000,000 414 The dollar value of exports 

guaranteed by the Export-Import 

Bank in FY99 was $13.067 billion.

Administrative expenses Salaries and benefits of ExportImport Bank employees50,000,000 N/A

Transfer of funds from the 

U.S. Agency for 

International Development 

(USAID)

These funds supported loans, loan 

guarantees, and insurance for 

exports of emergency supplies to 

Central America in the wake of 

Hurricane Mitch 

10,000,000 N/A

Offsetting receipts paid by 

Export-Import Bank 

customers

Loan guarantee fees; interest 

payments; insurance premiums

(13,000,000)c N/A

Total − Export-Import 

Bank

$812,000,000 414

Agriculture 

Department/Foreign 

Agricultural Service (FAS)

Short-term export credit 

guarantees (General 

Sales Manager-102 

Program); medium-term 

guarantees (General 

Sales Manager-103 

Program); supplier credit 

guarantees; and facilities 

financing guarantees

These programs provide loan 

guarantees for commodity exporters

 $325,820,000 63 Includes $3,820,000 in 

appropriations for administrative 

expenses. (Administrative 

expenses include the salaries and 

benefits of those who administer 

the program.) The dollar value of 

exports guaranteed under these 

programs in FY99 was $3.045 

billion.

Dairy Export Incentive 

Program

This program provides subsidy 

payments (cash payments that allow 

commodity exporters to sell their 

goods in foreign markets at lower, 

more competitive prices)

145,600,000 8 Includes $600,000 in estimated 

administrative expenses.d

Market Access Program Helps fund promotions (e.g., 

advertising) of consumer products 

abroad

93,877,000 55 Includes $3,877,000 in estimated 

administrative expenses.

Continued
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 34 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Overseas presence Salaries, benefits, and expenses of 

agricultural attachés, counselors, 

and trade officers stationed 

overseas who assist U.S. 

companies through counseling, 

buyer contacts, market information, 

and other activities

47,708,396 246 There are no specific 

appropriations for these activities; 

the dollar figure is an estimate of 

actual expenses (salaries, etc.) 

incurred in FY99.e

Foreign Market 

Development Program

Assists nonprofit trade associations 

by sharing the cost of market 

research and other activities that 

improve their access to foreign 

markets 

29,016,000 14 Includes $1,516,000 in estimated 

administrative expenses.

Emerging Markets 

Program

Promotes U.S. exports to low- and 

middle-income countries through 

market research, specialized 

training, and other activities

10,500,000 6 Includes $500,000 in estimated 

administrative expenses. 

Miscellaneous Trade shows and missions; annual 

overseas marketing plans

4,015,000 8 There are no specific 

appropriations for these activities; 

the dollar figure is an estimate of 

the eight officials’ salaries and 

benefits in FY99.

Export Enhancement 

Program

This program provides subsidy 

payments.

1,150,000 2 Includes $150,000 in estimated 

administrative expenses. 

“AgExport Connections” Provides trade leads, foreign buyer 

lists, and advertising space (for a 

small fee) in a biweekly newsletter 

distributed to over 18,000 potential 

buyers in 65 countries

324,000 5 There are no specific 

appropriations for these activities; 

the dollar figure is an estimate of 

the five officials’ salaries and 

benefits in FY99.

Trade Assistance and 

Promotion Office

Provides export counseling (e.g., by 

directing companies to the 

appropriate Agriculture Department 

officials to answer their questions), 

market information, and information 

on how to contact distributors and 

importers

159,000 2 There are no specific 

appropriations for these activities; 

the dollar figure is an estimate of 

the two officials’ salaries and 

benefits in FY99.

Total - Agriculture 

Department

$658,169,396 409 These totals exclude 

appropriations and staff for 

Public Law 480 Title I and other 

food aid programs.f

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 35 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Commerce Department

International Trade 

Administration (ITA) U.S. 

& Foreign Commercial 

Service unit (includes 

commercial service 

officers stationed across 

the country and at 

overseas posts)

Conducts market research; provides 

trade leads and contacts; conducts 

trade shows; provides export 

counseling

$183,695,000 1,284 The dollar amount includes 

$7,290,000 in ITA administrative 

expenses (salaries of personnel 

who perform administrative 

functions, e.g., financial 

management, information 

management, etc.). The 

remainder ($176,405,000) was 

appropriated for the salaries, 

benefits, and expenses of those 

who conduct export promotion 

activities; it includes $21,016,000 

for administrative support services 

provided by the State Department 

in connection with overseas posts. 

ITA Trade Development 

unit

Advocates for U.S. businesses in 

global competition for overseas 

contracts; disseminates trade 

information; provides export 

counseling; offers matching funds 

for export-related activities to trade 

associations, states, chambers of 

commerce, world trade centers, and 

other entities; engages in industryspecific trade negotiations 

60,403,000 407 The dollar amount includes 

$2,387,000 in ITA administrative 

expenses. The remainder 

($58,016,000) was appropriated 

for the salaries, benefits, and 

expenses of those who conduct 

export promotion activities.

ITA Market Access and 

Compliance unit

Identifies barriers to market access 

and the means to overcome them; 

provides export counseling

26,292,000 178 The dollar amount includes 

$722,000 in ITA administrative 

expenses. The remainder 

($25,570,000) was appropriated 

for the salaries, benefits, and 

expenses of those who conduct 

export promotion activities.

Economic Development 

Administration (EDA)

Supplies grants to local 

governments for facilities to support 

trade promotion activities

17,500,000 0 These figures represent 4.5% of 

EDA’s grant appropriations; no 

one at EDA was devoted to such 

activities full-time.

National Institute of 

Standards and 

Technology (NIST)

Provides technical assistance (by 

assisting exporters in situations 

where foreign units of measure and 

other technical standards may pose 

barriers to trade)

7,500,000 60 These figures represent 1.1% of 

NIST’s appropriated funds and 

1.9% of its staff.

Bureau of Export 

Administration (BXA)

Provides technical assistance (in 

the form of information on export 

licensing)

1,700,000 26 These figures represent 3% of 

BXA’s appropriated funds and 

5.6% of its staff.

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 36 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

National 

Telecommunications and 

Information Administration 

(NTIA)

Engages in industry-specific trade 

negotiations and trade conferences

1,000,000 8 The dollar figure is an estimate of 

the salaries and expenses for 

NTIA’s International Affairs Staff, 

which represents 5% of its total 

staff.

National Marine Fisheries 

Service

Provides technical assistance (by 

advising exporters in seafoodrelated industries)

400,000 4 These figures represent less than 

1% of appropriated funds and 

staff.

Minority Business 

Development Agency

Provides information on the export 

process to minority-owned 

businesses (dollar amount based on 

cost of one publication)

Less than

100,000

0 Negligible percentage of 

appropriated funds and staff spent 

on export-related activities in 

FY99; no grants or trips by the 

Secretary of Commerce in that 

year.

Total − Commerce 

Department

$298,590,000 1,967

U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency

Programs and 

administrative expenses

These programs provide the 

following: grants for partial funding 

of feasibility studies; other activities 

that help U.S. exporters in 

connection with these studies (such 

as “orientation visits,” in which 

potential foreign buyers or partners 

visit businesses in the United 

States); overseas trips to determine 

whether to fund proposed feasibility 

studies; legal assistance to foreign 

governments negotiating contracts 

with U.S. business; procurement 

assistance; and conferences

$44,000,000 39 Administrative expenses include 

salaries and benefits of agency 

staff.

Transfer from funds 

appropriated to carry out 

the Support for East 

European Democracies 

(SEED) Act and the 

FREEDOM Support Act

These funds were for feasibility 

studies and related activities in the 

Balkans and the newly independent 

states of the former Soviet Union 

15,000,000 N/A

Total − U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency

$59,000,000 39

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 37 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

State Department

Regional bureaus 

(includes overseas staff 

and some domestic staff)

Provides business services and 

supports trade missions and other 

U.S. government export promotion 

agencies and programs overseas 

$18,343,000 Not

Available

Bureau for Economic and 

Business Affairs

Provides “business services: export, 

investment, and tourism promotion 

activities in direct support of U.S. 

business and agriculture through 

advocacy of U.S. business interests 

to other governments; counseling, 

market analysis, trade directory...” 

6,251,000 Not

Available

Total − State Department $24,594,000 251 The 251 figure does not 

represent full-time equivalent 

positions filled, but positions 

budgeted in FY99, some of 

which may not be full-time and 

some of which may have gone 

unfilled. This is the best 

estimate of full-time equivalent 

positions filled in FY99 that the 

State Department could 

provide.

Transportation 

Department/Maritime 

Administration

Title XI loan guarantees −

program funds

Provides loan guarantees for 

building ships

$17,038,000 N/A This dollar amount was set aside 

to pay for 3 export projects—loan 

guarantees for building 3 ships to 

be sold to foreign buyers—

approved in FY99. Although there 

was an appropriation in FY99 for 

the Title XI program as a whole, 

there were no specific 

appropriations for these 3 

projects.

Title XI loan guarantees −

administrative expenses

Salaries and expenses of staff 

working on 3 export projects

250,000 2.5 The dollar and staff amounts were 

estimated by determining the 

percentage of administrative 

expenses related to the 3 

approved export projects and 

multiplying this percentage by (1) 

the total administrative expenses 

for the Title XI program in FY99 

and (2) the total full-time 

equivalent positions filled in the 

title XI program in FY99. 

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 38 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Total − Transportation 

Department

$17,288,000 2.5 The guaranteed portion of the 

dollar value of the 3 ships being 

built for export is $374 million.

Small Business 

Administration (SBA)

Small Business 

Development Centers 

(SBDC) involved in 

international trade

Provide counseling and training for 

small businesses on how to export 

$3,400,000 N/A There were no specific 

appropriations for SBDC export 

promotion activities in FY99. The 

dollar amount was estimated 

based on the percentage of 

export-related counseling and 

training sessions provided by 

SBDC staff. The SBDCs are 

staffed by the employees of the 

university or educational 

institution in which they are 

located. These employees are 

paid by the institution and 

matching grants from SBDC 

funds.

Contribution to the U.S. 

Export Assistance 

Centers 

Provides counseling for small 

businesses on trade finance and 

assists them in structuring their 

export transactions to apply for 

SBA’s trade finance programs; 

trains lenders; educates small 

businesses on how to export, 

including offering a formal export 

training course

3,100,000 25 The dollar amount includes the 

salaries and benefits of SBA staff 

at the centers, as well as 

administrative and other expenses 

connected with their activities.

Export Working Capital 

Program (short-term 

financing) and 

International Trade Loan 

Program (long-term 

financing)

Provide loan guarantees for small 

businesses

2,700,000 N/A Staff from SBA’s Office of 

International Trade work on these 

programs. There is no specific 

appropriation for them. The dollar 

amount is an estimate based on 

the percentage of SBA’s overall 

finance budget devoted to the two 

programs in FY99.

International Trade Data 

Networkg

Makes this network available to 

171 SBDCs around the country. The 

network gathers and disseminates 

market data, trade leads, and other 

information useful to small 

businesses seeking to export.

1,000,000 N/A The International Trade Data 

Network was created and is 

maintained by the Rhode Island 

Export Assistance Center at 

Bryant College in Smithfield, RI. 

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 39 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Office of International 

Trade 

Provides policy and oversight of 

SBA’s international trade programs; 

provides oversight of SBA activities 

at the U.S. Export Assistance 

Centers, including an “Export-Trade 

Assistance Partnership” course; 

conducts trade missions and other 

activities to help small businesses 

export

900,000 13

Service Corps of Retired 

Executives (SCORE)

Provides counseling and training for 

small businesses on how to export

200,000 N/A There were no specific 

appropriations for SCORE export 

promotion activities in FY99. The 

dollar amount was estimated 

based on the percentage of 

export-related counseling and 

training sessions provided by 

SCORE counselors. SCORE 

counselors are volunteers.

Total − Small Business 

Administration

$11,300,000 38

Energy Department

Office of Fossil Energy −

program funding

Promotes U.S. coal, oil, and gas 

technologies in China

$2,538,000 N/A There were no specific 

appropriations for these activities. 

The dollar amount represents the 

funds set aside in FY99 to pay for 

them. 

Office of Fossil Energy - 

salaries

295,000 2.5 The dollar amount is an estimate 

of the salaries paid in FY99.

Office of Fossil Energy −

travel expenses

42,000 N/A The dollar amount is an estimate 

of the expenses incurred in FY99.

Committee on Renewable 

Energy, Commerce and 

Trade (COEECT) −

program funding

Helps U.S. exporters of energyefficient technologies by setting up 

seminars, trade missions, and 

contacts; and disseminates 

information on financing options 

1,200,000 N/A The dollar amount was 

appropriated for COEECT 

activities in FY99.

COEECT - salaries 38,857 0.5 The dollar amount is 50% of an 

estimate of one person’s salary 

paid in FY99.

Total − Energy 

Department

$4,113,857 3

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 40 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

U.S. Agency for 

International 

Development/ Global 

Technology Network 

(USAID/GTN)

Other USAID activities are 

excluded because they do not fit 

the definition of export promotion 

for purposes of this review.

Domestic costs 

(contractor fees)

These costs are for disseminating 

trade leads and counseling U.S. 

companies and potential foreign 

buyers regarding specific leads

$1,715,000 60 Includes 21 USAID staff and 

contractors who spent all their 

time on the GTN; 5 International 

Executive Service Corps (IESC) 

volunteers who spent 80% of their 

time on the GTN; 341 IESC 

volunteers who spent 10% on 

GTN; and 27 state government 

employees who spent 5% on 

GTN.

Overseas costs 

(contractor fees)

These costs are for gathering trade 

leads and counseling U.S. 

companies and potential foreign 

buyers regarding specific leads

1,077,700 44 Includes 33 USAID contractors 

and 4 Commerce Department 

officials who spent all their time on 

the GTN; one contractor and 11 

Commerce officials who spent 

50% on GTN; and 8 State 

Department officials who spent 

10% on GTN.

Travel grants These grants provide travel funds to 

U.S. companies or potential foreign 

buyers for pursuing trade leads 

generated by the GTN

15,000 N/A There were no specific 

appropriations for these grants in 

FY99. The dollar amount 

represents the funds set aside in 

FY99 to pay for them.

Total − USAID/GTN $2,807,700 104 The GTN filled 94 full-time 

equivalent positions in FY99 if 

one subtracts the 10.3 such 

positions attributed to 

Commerce and State 

Department officials. There was 

no specific appropriation for 

the GTN in FY99; the dollar 

amount is an estimate of the 

funds set aside that year to pay 

USAID contractors working on 

the GTN.

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix II

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Programs and Activities in Fiscal Year 1999

Page 41 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Legend 

FY = Fiscal year

N/A = Not applicable

a

Amounts appropriated in fiscal year 1999, unless otherwise noted.

b

One full-time equivalent position is equal to one person working full-time; two people working 

half-time; one person working half-time and two people working one-quarter time, etc.

c

Numbers in parentheses are negative numbers.

d

These and other estimated administrative expenses associated with specific export promotion 

programs are paid for from the FAS’ annual appropriation for “salaries and expenses.” FAS budget 

officials based these estimates on the full-time equivalent positions devoted to each program in FY99.

e

These and other estimated expenses for which there are no specific appropriations are paid for from 

the FAS’ annual appropriation for salaries and expenses.

f

The Title I program provides financing at below market interest rates for U.S. exporters of agricultural 

commodities to developing countries and private entities. (See fn. 13 on p. 22 for an explanation of why 

we excluded this program.)

g

The Rhode Island Export Assistance Center’s International Trade Data Network is different from the 

Global Technology Network developed by USAID. The Rhode Island network contains a broad array of 

trade-related information, whereas the USAID network contains only specific sales leads in certain 

sectors from developing countries.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.

Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation 

(OPIC)

FY99 budget authority for 

program funding and 

administrative expenses

OPIC’s programs provide political 

risk insurance covering up to a 20-

year period, and loans and loan 

guarantees for terms of 5-15 years; 

its administrative expenses include 

employee salaries and other 

expenses

$82,500,000 190 These services are offered in 

connection with U.S. investment in 

developing countries and 

transitional economies that may 

lead to U.S. exports.

Net offsetting collections These consist primarily of interest 

on Treasury securities and 

insurance premiums

(257,500,000) N/A According to an OPIC budget 

official, the agency has 

consistently operated on a “selfsustaining basis.” It uses its 

earnings to pay its program and 

administrative expenses. 

Total − Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation

“Net negative budget authority” ($175,000,000) 190 According to OPIC officials, 

“net negative budget authority” 

is the amount by which the 

agency’s sources of funds 

exceed its uses of funds.

Agency/program Type of export promotion activity

Dollars devoted

to export

promotiona

Full-time

equivalent

positionsb

filled Notes

Continued from Previous Page
Page 42 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country ApendxiI

 Commercea Agricultureb Statec USAID (GTN only)d

Country 

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

 Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

Albania $2,600 0 1 $51,120 0.4 0.5

Algeria 34,286 1 0 $67,348 0 1 75,225 0.75 0

Angolae 0 1 40,767 0.65 0

Argentina 2,443,556 16 7 885,063 5 2 294,355 3.8 0 $60,000 1

Armenia 49,135 0 2 59,839 1.25 0

Australia 1,445,339 13 7 367,770 4 0 93,464 1.08 0

Austria 1,023,873 6 2 820,444 4 4 103,210 1.2 0

Azerbaijan 178,178 2 1 91,500 1 0

Bahamas 93,120 1.5 0

Bahrain 31,045 0.75 0

Bangladesh 66,500 1 1 114,900 2.5 0.25

Barbados 38,080 0 1 29,590 0.3 0

Belarus 59,685 0 1 0 0 0

Belgium 2,837,826 13 5 1,943,407 8 6 357,165 3.9 0.2

Belize 36,310 1.2 0

Benin 25,003 0.65 0 0.1

Bermuda 0 00

Bolivia 238,802 3.65 1

Bosnia & 

Herzegovina 80,949 0 1 81,619 0.98 0 1

Botswana 26,495 0.6 0 30,000 1

Brazilf 4,419,210 21 42 910,251 6 4 110,985 1.35 0.2 60,000 1

Brunei 45,250 1 0

Bulgaria 339,276 4 4 320,356 3 0 19,099 0.21 0.01 1

Burkina Faso 19,515 0.55 0

Burma 7,006 0 1 8,445 0.4 0

Burundi

Cambodia 20,841 0.4 0

Cameroon 67,818 2.32 0 0.1

Canada 2,644,162 24 6 495,872 4 0 335,855 3.95 0.1

Cape Verde 48,325 1.2 0

Central

African Rep. 9,815 0.15 0.1

Continued
Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country

Page 43 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Chad $37,762 0.63 0.13

Chile $1,179,440 11 3 $438,565 3 1 58,695 0.65 0 $40,000 1

Chinaf 6,154,494 18 66 2,200,106 5 17 319,241 3.57 0.05

Colombia 1,161,004 10 1 514,882 4 1 23,401 0.27 0 40,000 1

Congo

(Dem. Rep. of) 30,194 0.8 0

Congo

(Rep. of) 2,056 0.02 0

Costa Rica 492,108 4 2 452,996 3 1 36,120 0.4 0

Croatia 411,457 2 2 5,015 0.05 0 1

Cuba 0 00

Cyprus 119,520 1.7 0.6

Czech Rep. 664,449 6 5 59,239 1 1 22,575 0.25 0 1

Denmark 690,910 6 0 234,233 1 0 24,780 0.26 0

Djibouti 54,754 0.9 0 30,000 1

Dominican 

Rep. 677,813 5 7 499,201 2 2 46,150 0.5 0

Ecuador 465,869 6 2 172,128 2 2 0 0 0

Egypt 806,207 11 1 609,712 3 5 133,644 2.63 0 30,000 1

El Salvador 26,278 0 2 184,920 3.4 0

Eritrea 0.1

Estonia 29,220 0 1 97,800 1.5 0

Ethiopia 60,650 2.2 0 0.1

Fiji 111,973 2 0

Finland 354,460 3 1 33,175 0.45 0.1

France 3,433,490 21 9 1,056,658 6 2 44,435 0.5 0

Gabon 65,130 1.3 0

Gambia

Georgia 42,653 0 1

Germanyf 5,739,720 24 11 1,770,351 7 1 261,382 3.16 0

Ghana 0 1 16,197 0 1 52,950 2 0 28,800 1

Greece 950,133 10 1 331,728 2 3 83,710 1 0

Grenada

Guatemala 565,366 4 3 494,278 2 4 19,060 0.2 0

Guinea 25,075 0.55 0 0.1

 Commercea

 Agricultureb Statec USAID (GTN only)d

Country 

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

 Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country

Page 44 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana $35,855 1 0

Haiti $503,187 1 3 135,360 1.8 0

Honduras 128,627 1 3 $13,058 0 2 122,650 1.6 0

Hong Kong

SARf 2,570,294 14 9 1,210,667 4 3 151,330 1.6 0 0.5

Hungary 996,665 8 2 9,180 1 0 114,245 1.3 0 1

Iceland 103,911 1.4 0

India 2,628,837 24 37 509,637 7 2 263,845 4.9 0 0.5

Indonesiaf 1,263,267 10 19 750,034 4 7 115,661 1.84 0 0.5

Ireland 526,177 4 2 208,544 1 2 0 0 0

Israel 1,097,903 8 8 190,299 1 1 234,465 2.7 0

Italyf 2,858,892 21 5 1,746,061 8 1 170,683 2 0

Ivory Coastg 1,029,708 6 5 405,742 3 1 100,870 1.2 0 $30,000 1

Jamaica 92,307 1 1 34,086 0 2 76,825 0.9 0

Japanf 7,585,136 46 6 4,614,017 20 5 655,238 7.65 0

Jordan 8,277 0 1 185,834 3.6 0

Kazakhstan 618,679 5 8 15,438 1 0 82,010 1.05 0 1

Kenya 629,041 4 6 409,630 1 2 46,150 0.5 0 30,000 1

Koreaf 2,225,183 21 6 1,964,702 9 7 27,987 0.33 0 0.5

Kuwait 683,267 5 4 227,541 2.65 0.5

Kyrgyz

Republic 9,030 0.1 0

Laos 37,105 1.05 0

Latvia 18,018 0 1 9,008 1 0 41,552 0.4 0

Lebanon 183,699 3.72 0

Lesotho 6,215 0.15 0

Liberia 22,575 0.25 0

Lithuania 10,849 0 1 55,665 0.85 0

Luxembourg 23,521 0.07 0.25

Macedonia 18,828 0 1 28,968 0.5 0 30,000 1

Madagascar 29,130 0.6 0 30,000 1

Malawi 22,657 0.39 0

Malaysia 931,101 9 6 326,872 3 3 0 0 0 0.5

Mali 113,805 2 0 30,000 1

 Commercea

 Agricultureb Statec USAID (GTN only)d

Country 

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

 Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country

Page 45 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Malta 6,100 102,966 1.7 0.5

Marshall

Islands $14,830 0.3 0

Mauritania 36,929 0.95 0 0.1

Mauritius 200,251 3.6 0 0.1

Mexicof $3,697,513 35 35 $2,964,608 12 6 29,290 0.34 0 $60,000 1

Micronesia 1,806 0.02 0

Moldova 0 1 27,090 0.4 0

Mongolia 133,510 1.8 1 100,000 2

Morocco 522,948 4 2 373,795 2 2 71,310 0.75 0 40,000 1

Mozambique 107,700 1 1 30,000 1

Namibia 95,864 1.85 0 30,000 1

Nepal 23,162 0.7 0

Netherlands 1,324,600 8 3 911,635 6 2 180,600 2 0

Netherlands

Antilles 0 00

New Zealand 351,293 6 0 250,525 2 1 36,120 0.4 0

Nicaragua 21,656 0 1 196,085 3.05 0

Niger 34,223 1.1 0

Nigeria 676,090 4 5 722,896 2 4 58,180 0.6 0 30,000 1

Norway 540,325 4 2 14,010 1 0 16,545 0.2 0

Oman 120,223 2.6 0

Pakistan 475,231 6 4 349,420 3 2 14,336 0.3 0

Palau 6,215 0.15 0

Panama 523,185 5 1 38,581 0 2 88,045 1.05 0 0.5

Papua

New Guinea

Paraguay 84,910 1.9 0

Peru 597,908 3 5 445,621 3 2 165,390 2.3 0 40,000 1

Philippinesh 1,880,225 12 15 606,451 4 2 182,085 2.7 0 0.5

Poland 1,208,984 9 9 568,683 4 3 46,903 0.75 0 1

Portugal 643,763 7 3 220,772 1 2 9,830 0.1 0

Qatar 162,716 2.75 0

Romania 365,206 3 4 48,433 1 0 41,030 0.6 0.9 1

Russia 3,292,439 21 25 1,495,117 9 11 98,509 1.15 0

 Commercea

 Agricultureb Statec USAID (GTN only)d

Country 

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

 Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country

Page 46 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Rwanda 26,534 0.75 0

Samoa

Saudi Arabiaf $2,787,709 23 15 $638,073 2 1 0 0 0

Senegale 0 1 $125,445 3.1 0 $31,900 1

SerbiaMontenegroi 55,993

Sierra Leone 4,715 0.1 0

Singaporef 1,684,198 8 11 920,006 3 2 50,682 0.8 0 0.5

Slovakia 144,125 1 3 776 48,147 0.6 0

Slovenia 29,138 0 1 52,605 0.75 0

South Africa 1,661,323 15 9 721,107 6 1 73,628 0.33 0 40,000 1

Spain 1,974,455 16 1 910,600 6 1

Sri Lankae 0 1 77,210 2.3 0 0.5

Sudan 0 00

Suriname 47,049 0.83 0.5

Swaziland 18,185 0.25 0

Sweden 606,993 8 2 427,266 4 1 8,885 0.3 0

Switzerland 947,138 4 4 1,038,982 4 0 15,099 0.16 0

Syria 61,603 1 0 205,567 3.25 0

Taiwanj 688,000 33 406,817 6 1,689,330 25.85 3 0.5

Tajikistan 1,033 0.03 0

Tanzania 165,414 3.58 0 30,000 1

Thailand 1,274,023 11 11 629,341 5 2 106,165 1.7 0 0.5

Togo 53,220 0.7 0 0.1

Trinidad & 

Tobago 33,731 0 1

Tunisia 112,086 2 0 111,312 2 0.1 40,000 1

Turkey 1,271,212 13 2 595,835 4 1 216,337 2.95 0

Turkmenistan 61,929 0 1 18,060 0.2 0

Uganda 21,060 0.4 0 37,000 1

Ukraine 1,007,227 6 10 247,464 1 2 43,995 1.05 0

United Arab

Emiratesf 971,541 8 1 467,218 4 0 138,515 1.3 0

United

Kingdomk 2,946,631 17 12 1,063,625 5 3 113,275 1.35 0

United Statesf l 4 0 251,321 3 0

 Commercea

 Agricultureb Statec USAID (GTN only)d

Country 

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

 Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country

Page 47 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Legend

USAID = U.S. Agency for International Development

GTN = Global Technology Network

Note 1: Direct hires include U.S. government officers (U.S.& Foreign Commercial Service officers, 

agricultural attachés and counselors, agricultural trade officers, State Dept. Foreign Service officers, 

etc.) and foreign service nationals (local international trade professionals and administrative staff). The 

numbers are “full time equivalents” (FTE) representing staff time devoted to export promotion. The 

numbers for Commerce represent full-time U.S. officers and foreign service nationals as of 

November 1, 1999; those for Agriculture represent full-time U.S. officers and foreign service nationals 

as of October 28, 1999; those from State represent FTE data collected from overseas posts from 

November 1999 through February 2000.

Note 2: Other staff includes contractors (translators, drivers, professionals, etc.) identified as 

individuals but excludes contractors identified as companies. The numbers for Commerce and 

Agriculture represent actual people; those for State and USAID represent FTEs.

Note 3: Three other agencies − the Export-Import Bank (Eximbank), the Overseas Private 

Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) − also have a 

limited overseas presence related to export/investment promotion. In fiscal year 1999, Eximbank, 

OPIC, and TDA each had one U.S. employee in a Caspian Trade and Investment Center in Turkey. The 

cost, including salaries, for TDA was $196,568; Eximbank, $151,530; and OPIC, $388,111. The OPIC 

budget includes funding for the operation of the center. TDA and Eximbank also share some of these 

expenses. Because the center was established in fiscal year 1999, the three individuals did not arrive 

there until well into the fiscal year. TDA also has a U.S. employee stationed in the Philippines, at a cost 

of $156,335, including salary.

Note 4: Non-location-specific costs are costs associated with maintaining an overseas presence 

that are not allocated to specific posts. These include the salary and benefits of Washington, D.C.-

based staff responsible for administering an agency’s overseas presence, military postage, and other 

costs.

a

The estimated expenses for Commerce include operating and administrative costs: International 

Cooperative Administrative Support Services costs; U.S. officer and foreign service national salaries 

and expenses; and contractor costs.

b

The estimated expenses for Agriculture include the same type of costs as those for Commerce.

Uruguay 113,277 0 2 212,800 3.05 0.35 40,000 1

Uzbekistan $493,779 4 6 $17,363 0 1

Venezuela 1,322,951 10 8 758,988 5 2 $93,300 1.1 0

Vietnam 1,971,078 4 17 447,943 1 6 59,580 1 0 0.5

West Bank

Yemen 5,741 0 1 90,056 1.5 0.7

Zambia 68,200 1.7 0 $30,000 1

Zimbabwee 0 1 51,660 0.2 0.9 30,000 1

Subtotal $103,927,182 708 594 $45,996,172 246 175 $14,301,742 216.97 12.94 $1,077,700 0 43.8

Non-locationSpecific costs 5,792,012 1,712,224

Total $109,719,194 708 594 $47,708,396 246 175 $14,301,742 216.97 12.94 $1,077,700 0 43.8

 Commercea

 Agricultureb Statec USAID (GTN only)d

Country 

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

 Direct

hires

Other

staff

 Estimated

expenses

Direct

hires

Other

staff

Continued from Previous Page
Appendix III

Federal Agencies’ Export Promotion 

Activities Overseas: Fiscal Year 1999 

Estimated Expenses and Staffing by Country

Page 48 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

c

Of 230 posts, 196 (85 percent) reporting; includes all embassy posts in capital cities. The estimated 

expenses for State include U.S. officer and foreign service national salaries and expenses, and 

contractor costs. State officials did not include the Department’s operating and administrative 

expenses because export promotion is only one of many functions performed by the Department at its 

overseas posts. Posts in some countries, such as Spain, did not report any resources devoted to 

export promotion; State officials at these posts said most of this work is done by Commerce and 

Agriculture officials.

d

The GTN is a computerized data base that automatically matches U.S. companies with leads from 

potential foreign buyers in developing countries. Figures of less than one staff in the “Other staff” 

column reflect estimates of the percentage of time these people spend on USAID/GTN trade lead 

activities. This column includes USAID contractors and Commerce officials who spend all of their time 

on USAID/GTN activities, Commerce officials who spend about 50 percent of their time on these 

activities, and State officials who spend about 10 percent of their time on these activities. The 

Commerce and State officials are included under the “Direct hires” columns for those agencies; they 

are listed again here to show how many government FTEs are involved in the GTN and to indicate all 

the countries in which trade leads are gathered. The estimated expenses represent the cost of the 

contractors paid by USAID.

e

Estimated expenses for these countries are included in the estimated expenses of other, larger, 

nearby countries, to which officials stationed in the smaller countries report. For example, officials in 

Angola report to South Africa.

f

One or more Agricultural Trade Offices are located in these countries.

g

Staff figures include Commerce officials assigned to the African Development Bank.

h

Staff figures include Commerce officials assigned to the Asian Development Bank.

i

Agriculture had an office in Serbia in fiscal year 1999 that has been closed.

j

The United States has no official presence in Taiwan. Trade and other activities are carried out by the 

American Institute in Taiwan, which receives funding from Commerce, Agriculture, State, and other 

U.S. agencies.

k

Staff figures include Commerce officials assigned to the European Bank for Reconstruction and 

Development.

l

Staff figures include (1) Commerce officials assigned to the World Bank and the Inter-American 

Development Bank in Washington, D.C.; and (2) Agriculture officials covering the Caribbean region 

from Miami, Florida. The salaries, travel, and other expenses for the Commerce officials are included 

in the “non-location-specific costs” for Commerce, since they are connected with Washington, D.C., 

and not a specific overseas post.

Source: GAO analysis of agency data.
Page 49 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix IV

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology ApendxiIV

In order to identify the federal agencies involved in export promotion and 

the export promotion-related functions they perform, we met with officials 

from the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee and representatives 

from the committee’s member agencies. We also conducted separate 

interviews with officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, 

Defense, Energy, the Interior, State, Transportation, and the Treasury; the 

Environmental Protection Agency; the Export-Import Bank; the Office of 

Management and Budget; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; the 

Small Business Administration; the U.S. Agency for International 

Development; the U.S. Trade and Development Agency; and the U.S. Trade 

Representative. 

In order to (1) obtain the most recent budget and staffing data pertaining to 

each agency’s total export promotion activities and (2) isolate each 

agency’s current resources spent on export promotion activities overseas, 

we reviewed websites and budget, staffing, and other documents from the 

Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, State, Transportation, and 

the Treasury; the Export-Import Bank; the Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation; the Small Business Administration; the U.S. Agency for 

International Development; and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. 

We also conducted extensive interviews with officials from these agencies 

and from the Office of Management and Budget. In addition, we examined 

the President’s 2001 budget request, which contains each agency’s 

appropriations for fiscal year 1999 and full-time equivalent positions filled 

during this period. Since fiscal year 1999 was the most recently completed 

period, we used data for that year.

To quantify the financial resources devoted to export promotion activities 

in fiscal year 1999, we used the amounts appropriated for these activities 

during this period. In those instances in which there were no specific 

appropriations for export promotion activities, we used obligated funds or 

amounts estimated by agency officials.1

 To quantify the human resources 

devoted to export promotion activities during this period, we used the 

full-time equivalent positions actually filled at each agency by people 

engaged in these activities.

1

In this report, we use the term “appropriated funds” to refer to amounts specifically 

provided in annual appropriations acts or other legislation. The term “obligated funds” is 

used to refer to amounts that an agency has set aside or committed in a given fiscal year to 

pay for a certain purpose. 
Appendix IV

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Page 50 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

With regard to overseas staffing data, we included all of the officials in the 

Commerce Department’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and the 

Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service stationed overseas 

in fiscal year 1999.2

 We included all these officials because they work full 

time on export promotion. Specifically, promoting U.S. exports is the stated 

mission of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. With regard to the 

Foreign Agricultural Service, Agriculture Department officials told us that 

agricultural trade officers and agricultural attachés and counselors 

stationed overseas help U.S. exporters by providing information, 

counseling, and other export assistance services. They said that 

agricultural attachés and counselors also spend time on “market 

intelligence” and “market access” activities.3

 They defined market 

intelligence as gathering information on market conditions (for example, 

weather affecting crop production) and trade policies. They said market 

access activities often involve calling local government officials to get them 

to admit legally imported U.S. commodities waiting on the docks or in 

dockside warehouses (while the U.S. exporter pays warehouse fees). We 

have included agricultural attachés’ and counselors’ time spent on market 

intelligence and market access activities for two reasons: (1) these 

activities are related to export promotion and (2) the Department’s listing 

of overseas resources does not specify how much time officials at each 

post spend on export promotion vs. market intelligence or other activities.4

State Department foreign service officers are involved in a wide range of 

activities (for example, diplomacy, national security, cultural exchanges, 

etc.) in addition to export promotion. Since these activities are less likely to 

be related to export promotion than the market intelligence and market 

access activities engaged in by agricultural attachés and counselors, we 

asked the State Department to ascertain the percentage of officers’ time (in 

terms of full-time equivalent positions) spent on export promotion 

activities at each post in fiscal year 1999. In order to comply with our 

request, the State Department spent several months polling each of its 

2

The Agriculture and Commerce Departments provided us with a listing by post of overseas 

staff “on board” as of October 28, 1999, and November 1, 1999, respectively.

3

In their comments, Commerce Department officials noted that the U.S. and Foreign 

Commercial Service also engages in market access and market intelligence activities.

4

The Agriculture Department did not include market intelligence or market access activities 

in its estimate of resources devoted to export promotion that it prepared for the Trade 

Promotion Coordinating Committee’s annual report.
Appendix IV

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Page 51 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

230 overseas posts and compiling data from 196 cables (an 85-percent 

response rate that included all major U.S. embassies). 

The U.S. Agency for International Development provided us with a list of 

contractors and officials from the Departments of Commerce and State 

who gathered trade leads overseas for its Global Technology Network in 

fiscal year 1999.5

 The list includes the percentage of time these people 

spent gathering the leads, the countries in which they worked, and any U.S. 

Agency for International Development funds obligated to pay them during 

this period. In order to avoid double counting, we subtracted the full-time 

equivalent positions attributed to the Commerce and State Departments 

from the U.S. Agency for International Development staffing data in tables 

2 and 3. We did not subtract this information from the U.S. Agency for 

International Development data in appendix III because doing so would 

result in not indicating the countries in which these officials gathered trade 

leads for the network.

In order to ascertain which agencies participate in the U.S. Agency for 

International Development’s Global Technology Network and describe the 

nature of their participation, we interviewed officials from the 

Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and State; the 

Export-Import Bank; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; the 

Small Business Administration; the U.S. Agency for International 

Development; and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. We then crosschecked the information obtained from each of these agencies against that 

obtained from the others.

We provided a draft of this report to the agencies discussed in the report 

and to the Office of Management and Budget. The following agency 

officials submitted comments:

• Department of Agriculture

• Deputy Director, Strategic Planning, Office of the Administrator, 

Foreign Agricultural Service

• Agricultural Marketing Specialist, Commodity and Marketing 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service

5

With the exception of this network, the overseas staffing data includes only those positions 

filled by people hired directly by each agency—U.S. officers and “foreign service nationals” 

(local international trade professionals and administrative staff)—and not by contractors. 

Contractor information is shown in appendix III in the “other staff” column for each agency.
Appendix IV

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Page 52 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

• Department of Commerce

• Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade

• Department of Energy

• Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy

• Acting Director, Office of Energy Outreach, Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy 

• Department of Transportation

• Director, Office of Shipbuilding Financing, Maritime Administration

• Department of the Treasury

• International Economist, Multilateral Development Bank Office

• Program Analyst, Office of Trade Finance

• Export-Import Bank

• Director, Policy Oversight and Review, Office of Policy and Planning

• Office of Management and Budget

• Examiner, International Affairs Division

• Overseas Private Investment Corporation

• Director, Financial Management

• Small Business Administration

• Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of International Trade

• State Department6

• Deputy Coordinator for Business Affairs

• U.S. Agency for International Development

• Deputy Assistant Administrator, Center for Economic Growth and 

Agricultural Development, Bureau for Global Programs, Field 

Support and Research

• U.S. Trade and Development Agency

• Legislative Liaison

We conducted our work between August 1999 and March 2000 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.

6

The State Department reviewed a draft of the report but had no comments.
Page 53 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix V

Comments From the Department of 

Commerce ApendxiV
Appendix V

Comments From the Department of 

Commerce

Page 54 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion
Appendix V

Comments From the Department of 

Commerce

Page 55 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion
Page 56 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix VI

Comments From the U.S. Agency for 

International Development ApendxiVI
Appendix VI

Comments From the U.S. Agency for 

International Development

Page 57 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion
Page 58 GAO/NSIAD-00-118 Export Promotion

Appendix VII

GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments ApendxiVI

GAO Contact Virginia C. Hughes, (202) 512-5481

Acknowledgments In addition to Ms. Hughes, David Artadi, Carlos Evora, Kay Halpern, Ernie 

Jackson, and Rona Mendelsohn made key contributions to this report.

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