Each week, we recap the latest U.S. Department of Commerce highlights spanning a wide range of issues promoting job creation and economic growth, programs, and events in one blog post.
Here are the key moments from Commerce: This Week
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
On June 29, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross released a statement on the revocation of Hong Kong Special Status.
On July 1, Secretary Ross traveled to Erie, Pennsylvania, and Youngstown, Ohio, and participated in events for the U.S., Mexico, Canada agreement implementation, marking the beginning of a historic new chapter for North American trade with many benefits for PA, OH, and America.
⇒ Secretary Ross Traveled to Erie, Pennsylvania & Youngstown, Ohio
⇒ U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross delivers $6.4M in grants to Valley
Also, on July 1, the U.S. Department of Commerce along with the Departments of State, the Treasury, and Homeland Security, issued a business advisory to highlight risks and considerations for businesses with supply chain exposure to entities engaged in forced labor and other human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in the People’s Republic of China.
On July 2, Secretary Ross recognized President Trump’s leadership, as the U.S. Department of Labor reported the U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs in June, the largest monthly increase ever recorded.
On July 8, Secretary Ross joined President Trump in welcoming President Lopez Obrador of Mexico to the White House.
Around the Bureaus
On June 29, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration shared recent engagements with Historically Black Colleges and University students and leadership on internet connectivity challenges as part of the Minority Broadband Initiative.
On July 1, three U.S. Department of Commerce agencies, the Economic Development Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the First Responder Network Authority announced the awardee of the Accelerate R2 Network Challenge.
Also, on July 1, the International Trade Administration and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office celebrated day one of President’s Trump landmark trade agreement, USMCA.
On July 6, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $3.4 million in grants to support high-impact projects for COVID-19 pandemic response, with funding authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump in March 2020.
On July 7, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued new cloud and data strategies to fully utilize the agency’s massive and diverse data collection.
On July 8, NIST awarded a total of $50 million in emergency funding to support U.S. manufacturers in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will allow the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico to offer services that help manufacturers increase production of products that support the response to the pandemic, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), and to reach new suppliers or markets, recover from workforce and supply chain interruptions, and achieve greater resilience.
The first-ever Pledge to America’s Workers Presidential Award launched on July 8, 2020. Organizations that have signed the White House’s pledge, committing to vocational education and skills training for 16 Million Americans, can apply at https://www.commerce.gov/americanworker/pledge-americas-workers-preside…
2020 Census
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