Commerce Dept.

Partnership will help revitalize the domestic railway manufacturing sector, support Obama Administration’s historic investments in transportation and create jobs

October 18, 2011 - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank today announced a partnership to encourage the creation of domestic manufacturing jobs and opportunities for U.S. suppliers through transportation investments.

September 16, 2011 - Commerce Department’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship helps drive university commitments to advance research commercialization

September 14, 2011 - The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau today released retail sales data for August 2011. Retail sales were virtually unchanged in August and slightly lower than private-sector expectations of a 0.2-percent increase. Motor vehicle sales in August decreased 0.3 percent, partly due to lingering inventory problems for Japanese manufacturers and the effects of Hurricane Irene. Sales excluding automobiles rose 0.1 percent, below private-sector expectations of a 0.3-percent rise.

August 16, 2011 -- The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau today released data on new residential construction for July 2011. Permits for new housing units fell 3.2 percent following a small increase in June. Private-sector analysts had expected a 1.8-percent decline. The decrease was driven by multi-family homes with five or more units. Permits for single-family homes and those with two-to-four units both increased. Housing starts declined 1.5 percent in July after a large increase in June. Private-sector analysts had expected a 4.6-percent decrease.

Women still significantly underrepresented in STEM fields, impacting U.S. competitivenes

August 3, 2011 - The U.S. Commerce Department’s Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) today issued the second in a series of reports on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs and higher education.

As expected, the report, Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation, finds there are fewer women than men in STEM jobs and attaining degrees in STEM fields. But interestingly, that’s true despite the fact that the wage premium for women in STEM jobs is higher than that for men and that there’s greater income parity between genders in STEM fields than there is in the employment market as a whole.

June 22, 2010 -- Here are some highlights from the Federal government and major agencies for this week:

NASA announces a budget amendment that will provide close to $100 million toward job creation and regional growth in aerospace. NASA also mentions a NASA contest featuring student-designed flying rescue vehicles – neat stuff!

FEMA warns citizens to be on the lookout for post-disaster stress symptoms following major disasters such as the recent floods in Kentucky.

March 5, 2010 -- WASHINGTON -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today, joined by Senator Mary Landrieu, announced an $80 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare in Louisiana.

The grant will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 80 community anchor institutions—including universities, K-12 schools, libraries, healthcare facilities—and lay the groundwork for bringing affordable broadband service to thousands of homes and businesses in the region.

Secretary Locke committed to support the travel and tourism industryMarch 4, 2010 -- WASHINGTON -- President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) into law today, putting into place a new public-private partnership between the U.S. government and the nation’s travel and tourism industry.

The U.S. Department of Commerce stands ready to work with the private sector to promote international travel to the United States. “When international visitors come to the United States they spend money on a wide range of goods and services that support U.S. jobs,” said Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. “Creating a global tourism promotion program to encourage international visitors to vacation in America will help spur economic growth and create more jobs.”

FY2011 Request: $8.9 billion; FY2010 Enacted: $13.9 billion

The Department of Commerce (DOC) has a broad mandate to advance economic growth, jobs and opportunities for the American people. It has crosscutting responsibilities in the areas of trade, technology, entrepreneurship, economic development, environmental stewardship, and statistical research and analysis. To support this important work, the 2011 Budget allocates $8.9 billion to DOC.

Open New Markets to American Goods and Services

Commerce Department Budget Proposal Seeks Investments in Innovation, Clean Energy, Infrastructure, Job Creation

February 1, 2010 -- WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama today submitted to Congress an $8.9 billion FY 2011 budget request for the U.S. Commerce Department. The budget reflects priorities that will spur the growth of U.S. exports and the jobs that come with them, improve our scientific and technological capabilities and upgrade our capabilities for weather and climate observations and forecasting.