FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 10, 2012
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883

U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson issued the following statement today on the release of the March 2012 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. U.S. goods and services exports in March 2012 were up 2.9 percent from February 2012 to reach a record $186.8 billion. Record highs were seen in U.S. exports of both total services ($54.1 billion), and goods ($132.7 billion), with record levels of exports of industrial supplies ($44.3 billion) and capital goods ($44.4 billion).

U.S. goods and services exports year-to-date through the first quarter of 2012 were up 8.2 percent or $41.6 billion from the same period of 2011 to reach $549.2 billion. This marks the fourth consecutive month of export growth.

“This month’s data show that U.S. exports have continued to increase this year, despite some tough economic conditions abroad, confirming the historic progress we are making on the path to achieving President Obama’s goal of doubling exports by the end of 2014," said U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson. "In fact, record-breaking levels of exports have already supported an additional 1.2 million American jobs since 2009. Exports increased 2.9 percent in March, the largest increase since July 2011, and exports of goods and services in March also set new records. Further, despite the slowdown in Europe, U.S. businesses also exported in record numbers to the EU. We cannot, however, afford to become complacent. We must continue to do everything we can to support U.S. companies in selling their goods and services to the 95 percent of the world’s consumers who live beyond our borders.”

Fact sheet (PDF)