Speaking to a group of top military, government and industry leaders, Scott Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of UPS and a member of the President’s Export Council, said that more U.S. exports are needed to create jobs and promote economic growth in the United States, which also can lead to a more stable world.
“Thanks to the professionalism and expertise of our armed forces, the U.S. is still a military superpower,” said Davis, keynote speaker on Monday, Sept. 12, at the National Defense Transportation Association meeting. “But when it comes to trade, we are letting other countries move to the forefront.”
Davis acknowledged challenges facing the United States, including unsustainable federal deficits and the persistently weak job market. But he countered that the solution is “much stronger economic growth fueled by U.S. exports and robust global trade.”
“When trade crosses borders, millions of people see a better future and that makes all of us safer,” Davis said. “I truly believe we must continue the long march to more trade and prosperity.” He went on to discuss ways to boost U.S. exports by unleashing global trade constraints, including:
• Streamlining export controls, which would boost U.S. GDP by $64 billion and create about 160,000 manufacturing jobs over the next eight years. “That’s low-hanging fruit,” he said; and
• Passing job-creating free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, which he said were “stuck in the mud of partisanship” in Washington.
“We have the means to compete with any country in the world and win,” Davis said. “Let’s clear away the barriers to exports, let global commerce shift into high gear and create much-needed jobs here at home.”
