Commerce Dept.

February 3rd, 2009 -- THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. By now, our economic crisis is well-known. Our economy is shrinking. Unemployment rolls are growing. Businesses and families can't get credit, and small businesses can't secure the loans they need to create jobs and get their products to market.    » read more »

January 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Hassan Saied Keshari and his corporation, Kesh Air International, pleaded guilty this morning in the Southern District of Florida to charges of conspiring to illegally export military and commercial aircraft parts to Iran.

The guilty pleas were announced by Matt Olsen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce; Office of Export Enforcement; Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Investigations; and Sharon Woods, Director, U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service.    » read more »

Jan 22, 2009 -- U.S. businesses spent $1.36 trillion on new and used structures and equipment in 2007, of which $1.28 trillion, or 93.7 percent, was spent on new structures and equipment, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

These findings come from the 2007 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, which measures spending on new and used structures and equipment for businesses with and without paid employees.

Expenditures for new and used structures totaled $529.3 billion, an increase of $40.1 billion from 2006. Of that total, 91.5 percent was spent on new structures. Expenditures for new and used equipment totaled $832.3 billion, 95.2 percent of which went to new equipment.    » read more »

The Time to Vote on the U.S. Colombia Free Trade Agreement Is Now

WASHINGTON, Sunday, July 20, 2008 — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez issued the following statement on the occasion of Colombia’s Independence Day with a call to Congress to schedule a vote on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement:

“Freedom and democracy go hand in hand. As our nation celebrates with our Colombian friends and allies on their independence day, we reflect on the remarkable progress that they have made toward stability, social justice and peace. These are developments that all Americans should be proud to support. When Colombia is strong, secure and prosperous, so is the Western Hemisphere.    » read more »

Washington, Feb. 26, 2008 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek met to discuss bilateral trade. Following the meeting they held a press conference to highlight the plight of the Cuban people, with whom the Czech people stand in solidarity as a nation that has made a successful transition from what Gutierrez called the “tyranny of communism” to democracy. Gutierrez is pictured giving Topolanek a bracelet imprinted with the Spanish word for change, “cambio,” which are worn in solidarity with the Cuban people.    » read more »

Gaithersburg, Md., Feb. 26, 2008 — The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting the International Workshop on Documentary Standards for Measurement and Characterization in Nanotechnologies February 26-28. Leaders of international standards committees and measurement laboratories from around the world will exchange information to promote the emergence of high-quality, globally relevant international standards for nanotechnology.    » read more »

Washington, Feb. 21, 2008 — Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is co-sponsoring a six-week Southern Ocean gas exchange experiment cruise with scientists from NASA and the National Science Foundation (NFS) to study the movements of gases in order to improve the accuracy of climate models and predictions. Scientists will conduct the experiments aboard the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown, named for the late Secretary of Commerce killed in a plane crash in 1996.    » read more »

Washington, Feb. 20, 2008 — Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Mario Mancuso delivered the keynote address, “Technology Leadership, Economic Power and National Security: Dual-Use Export Controls to China,” at the Heritage Foundation. Mancuso addressed how recent changes to our dual-use export control policies toward China fit into a new strategy to ensure safe, secure, technology trade and investment.

Speech below:

“Technology Leadership, Economic Power, and U.S. National Security” U.S. Dual-Use Trade with China

Keynote Address    » read more »

‘Crystal of Light’ Clock Surpasses Accuracy of NIST-F1 Fountain Clock

Feb. 14, 2008, BOULDER, Colo.— A next-generation atomic clock that tops previous records for accuracy in clocks based on neutral atoms has been demonstrated by physicists at JILA, a joint institute of the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The new clock, based on thousands of strontium atoms trapped in grids of laser light, surpasses the accuracy of the current U.S. time standard based on a “fountain” of cesium atoms.    » read more »

Bilateral Free Trade Benefits U.S. and Colombian Workers and Businesses

Thursday, February 14, 2008, WASHINGTON ― U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez announced that U.S. exports for 2007 reached record-breaking levels and stressed the need to continue export momentum by opening up new markets and passing the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. Gutierrez noted that many Colombian goods such as Valentine’s day flowers come to the United States duty free, while U.S. products that support the flower industry face tariffs upon entering the Colombian market.    » read more »

Amman, Jordan, Feb. 11, 2008 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez spoke at the U.S.-Middle East and North Africa Trade and Investment Conference on the potential for prosperity and stronger economic ties through open markets. “When markets are open, trade is liberalized, freedom is fostered, entrepreneurial spirits are unleashed, and the quality of life improves,” said Gutierrez. “This Conference presents a great opportunity to take our economic partnerships to the next level and to create stronger intra-regional commercial ties with U.S. suppliers and investors.”    » read more »

Monday, February 11, 2008, WASHINGTON ─ U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement Chris Israel released the administration’s Annual Report to the President and Congress on Coordination of Intellectual Property Enforcement and Protection today. The Annual Report conveys the yearly accomplishments and establishes priorities for the upcoming year for the federal agencies responsible for protecting and enforcing American intellectual property (IP) rights, both domestically and abroad.    » read more »

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez Keynote Address at the Department of Commerce Conference: “Powering Our Low Carbon Future” in Washington, D.C.

- Proposed Commerce Department FY 2009 Budget Highlights the President’s Priorities and Commitments
- FY 2009 Budget Request Maintains Commitment to Economic Growth, U.S. Competitiveness, Clean Oceans and Spending Restraint

Monday, February 4, 2008, WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that the President’s FY 2009 Budget request of $8.18 billion for the U.S. Department of Commerce reflects the Bush Administration’s continuous efforts to promote job growth, U.S. competitiveness, and environmental stewardship.    » read more »

30 January 2008 -- The national housing slump showed no signs of easing in December. The monthly U.S. Commerce Department report shows new home sales fell nearly five percent in December to their lowest level in almost 13 years. And with foreclosures now at a 20-year high in some states, realtors in some of the hardest hit states are trying out a creative new idea to entice buyers.

Mounting economic uncertainty has led to a sharp decline in property sales across the country.    » read more »