Dear colleague,

We wanted to bring to your attention the attached report published today by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. We hope The Digital Trade Revolution: How U.S. Workers and Companies Can Benefit from a Digital Trade Agreement makes a significant contribution to the trade debate in Washington and worldwide.

On a related note, as Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs Myron Brilliant told a press conference this morning, the Chamber is launching our #LeadOnTrade Campaign to send a clear message to the administration and the Congress. As Myron said:

“Our message and our goal is to get the United States back on the offensive on trade — seeking new market-opening trade agreements — be they a digital trade agreement, or full free-trade agreements with the UK or Kenya, or with other partners.

“As our President and CEO Suzanne Clark said in her State of American Business address last month: ‘By one vital measure—trade—we’re standing still. And that means we’re falling behind.’ Other nations are entering into sweeping new trade agreements that offer benefits to their own workers, farmers, and companies. Meanwhile, the competitive disadvantage facing our own companies in global markets is growing.

“We’ll have more reports like the one today — we’re launching a strategic communications campaign to reach policy makers and marshal the business community. Our members and our federation of national, state, and local associations and chambers of commerce are anxious to get moving and will be involved. We’ll work with allies in both parties in Congress to get momentum underway.

“Dynamic, sustainable growth can’t just come from government spending. We need to get back in the game.”

Best regards,

John Murphy

Senior Vice President for International Policy

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Report: Digital Trade Holds Vast Promise for U.S. Workers, Firms

America’s Businesses Will Fall Behind Without a Digital Trade Pact for immediate release

February 9, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today released a major report entitled The Digital Trade Revolution: How U.S. Workers and Companies Can Benefit from a Digital Trade Agreement. The report underscores the promise of digital trade as a driver of dynamic growth and good jobs in the U.S. and abroad. To read the full report, click here.

“The digital trade revolution is already delivering benefits for workers and companies across the country,” said U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs Myron Brilliant. “Americans working in companies of all sizes and sectors can now sell their goods and services digitally to customers around the globe, yet the potential of this sea-change is nearly untapped.”

With details on a host of industry sectors and state-by-state fact sheets, the report shows that most U.S. services exports now have the potential to be delivered to customers abroad digitally. It also reveals how companies of all sizes have the potential to benefit from digital trade.

“While Americans are well placed to seize these opportunities, rising digital protectionism abroad presents a serious threat,” continued Brilliant. “Scores of countries have imposed data localization measures and other trade barriers. In our view, the best defense is a good offense: The United States should pursue a high-standard digital trade agreement with a coalition of like-minded countries that share U.S. ambitions. We need this to secure opportunities for American workers, small businesses, services industries, and others. The time to act is now.”

The Chamber report lays out principles to guide the negotiation of a digital trade agreement. It also identifies a group of countries — dubbed the “Digital Dozen” in this report — considered potentially suitable partners to join the United States in a high-standard digital trade agreement, including countries from the Indo-Pacific and the Americas to the UK.

 About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy. Our members range from the small businesses and local chambers of commerce that line the Main Streets of America to leading industry associations and large corporations.

They all share one thing: They count on the U.S. Chamber to be their voice in Washington, across the country, and around the world. For more than 100 years, we have advocated for pro-business policies that help businesses create jobs and grow our economy.,

U.S. Chamber Press Contact

202.463.5682

Contact: Michelle Koepp