Presidential Documents

10935 

Federal Register 

Vol. 77, No. 36 

Thursday, February 23, 2012 

Title 3— 

The President 

Memorandum of February 17, 2012 

Maximizing the Effectiveness of Federal Programs and Functions Supporting Trade and Investment 

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies 

Winning the future and creating an economy that’s built to last will require 

the Federal Government to wisely allocate scarce resources to maximize 

efficiency and effectiveness so that it can best support American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth. Creating good, high-paying jobs in the 

United States and ensuring sustainable economic growth are the top priorities 

of my Administration. To accomplish these goals, we must ensure that 

U.S. businesses increase their exports of goods, services, and agricultural 

products, and that foreign companies recognize the United States as an 

attractive place to invest and to open businesses. While this growth will 

be fueled by the private sector, the Federal Government must do its part 

to facilitate trade and investment. 

Executive Order 13534 of March 11, 2010, established the Export Promotion 

Cabinet to coordinate the development and implementation of the National 

Export Initiative (NEI) to improve conditions that directly affect the private 

sector’s ability to export and to help meet my Administration’s goal of 

doubling exports over 5 years. Pursuant to the terms of the Executive Order, 

the Export Promotion Cabinet conducts its work in coordination with the 

Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). The TPCC, chaired by 

the Secretary of Commerce, was authorized by statute in 1992 (15 U.S.C. 

4727) and established by Executive Order 12870 of September 30, 1993. 

The NEI has used Government resources and policies to increase exports 

at a pace consistent with the goal of doubling exports by the end of 2014. 

The NEI has accomplished this by opening up foreign markets for U.S. 

exports, enhancing enforcement of our trade laws, providing needed export 

financing, advocating on behalf of U.S. firms, and otherwise facilitating 

U.S. exports. But we must do more. 

On January 13, 2012, I announced that I would submit a legislative proposal 

seeking the authority to reorganize the Federal Government in order to 

reduce costs and consolidate agencies (Consolidation Authority), and outlined 

the first use I would make of such authority: to streamline functions currently 

dispersed across numerous agencies into a single new department to promote 

competitiveness, exports, and American business. The new department would 

integrate and streamline trade negotiation, financing, promotion, and enforcement functions currently housed at half a dozen executive departments 

and agencies, and would include an office dedicated to expanding foreign 

investment and assisting businesses that are considering investing in the 

United States. In addition to the trade and investment functions, the new 

department would include integrated small business, technology, innovation, 

and statistics programs and services from a number of departments and 

agencies, thereby creating a one-stop shop for businesses that want to grow 

and export. We cannot afford to wait until the Congress acts, however, 

and must do all we can administratively to make the most efficient and 

effective use of the Federal Government’s trade, foreign investment, export, 

and business programs and functions. 

Accordingly, to further enhance and coordinate Federal efforts to facilitate 

the creation of jobs in the United States and ensure sustainable economic 

growth through trade and foreign investment, and to ensure the effective 

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10936 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2012 / Presidential Documents 

and efficient use of Federal resources in support of these goals, I hereby 

direct the following: 

(1) Program Coordination. In coordination with the TPCC, the Export 

Promotion Cabinet shall develop strategies and initiatives in support of 

my Administration’s strategic trade and investment goals and priorities, 

including the specific measures outlined in this memorandum. The Assistant 

to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International 

Economics shall coordinate the activities of the Export Promotion Cabinet 

pursuant to this memorandum. Measures and progress shall continue to 

be reported in the annual National Export Strategy report of the TPCC. 

The TPCC will continue to function as it has, consistent with its statutorily 

mandated duties. 

(2) Improving Customer Service for Exporters. Consistent with my memorandum of October 28, 2011 (Making it Easier for America’s Small Businesses 

and America’s Exporters to Access Government Services to Help Them Grow 

and Hire), the Export Promotion Cabinet shall support the Steering Committee 

established pursuant to that memorandum in its efforts to create 

BusinessUSA, a common, open, online platform and web service that will, 

among other things, enable exporters to seamlessly access information about 

export-related Government programs, resources, and services regardless of 

which agency provides them. 

(3) Trade Budget. The Export Promotion Cabinet shall, in consultation 

with the TPCC: 

(a) evaluate the allocation of Federal Government resources to assist with 

trade financing, negotiation, enforcement, and promotion, as well as the 

encouragement of foreign investment in the United States, and identify 

potential savings from streamlining overlapping or duplicative programs, 

as well as areas in need of additional resources; 

(b) make recommendations to the Director of the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for more effective resource allocation to these functions, 

consistent with my Administration’s strategic trade and investment goals 

and priorities, including recommendations to streamline overlapping and 

duplicative programs and reallocate those resources; and 

(c) present to the Director of OMB for consideration in the annual process 

for developing the President’s Budget, a proposed unified Federal trade 

budget, consistent with my Administration’s strategic trade and investment 

goals and priorities. 

(4) Coordination of Offices and Staff. The Export Promotion Cabinet, in 

consultation with the TPCC, shall take steps to ensure the most efficient 

use of its members’ domestic and foreign offices and distribution networks, 

including: co-locating offices wherever appropriate; cross-training staff to 

better serve business customers at home and abroad by promoting exports 

to foreign countries and foreign investment in the United States; and considering the effectiveness of commercial diplomacy, cross-training, and referrals, 

as appropriate, when evaluating employee performance. 

(5) Enhancing Business Competitiveness. Pending passage of legislation 

providing Consolidation Authority, the Export Promotion Cabinet shall work 

with the National Economic Council to develop and coordinate administrative 

initiatives to align and enhance programs that enable and support efforts 

by American businesses, particularly small businesses, to innovate, grow, 

and increase exports. 

(6) General Provisions (a) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. 

(b) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise 

affect: 

(i) authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head 

thereof; or 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2012 / Presidential Documents 10937 

(ii) functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, 

or legislative proposals. 

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right 

or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by 

any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, 

its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. 

(d) The Director of OMB is hereby authorized and directed to publish 

this memorandum in the Federal Register. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

Washington, February 17, 2012 

[FR Doc. 2012–4438 

Filed 2–22–12; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3110–01–P 


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