Skip to Content

Hearings

Bureaucratic Obstacles for Small Exporters: Is our National Export Strategy Working?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 | 01:00 | Full Committee

On Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 1:00pm, the House Small Business Committee held a full committee hearing entitled, Bureaucratic Obstacles for Small Exporters: Is our National Export Strategy Working? The hearing took place in room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Commerce Secretary Locke recently released the 2011 National Export Strategy (NES) outlining the federal government’s strategy to improve the coordination and effectiveness of the federal trade agencies. There are more than 20 federal agencies that play a role in the export process, and many small businesses have a difficult time navigating the bureaucracy and regulations. This hearing provided an opportunity to learn more about the obstacles that deter many small businesses from exporting, and highlighted ways to improve the process.

Opening Statement:

Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO)

Witnesses and Testimony:

Panel 1

  • Suresh Kumar, Assistant Secretary and Director General, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. Commercial Service, Washington, DC
  • Marie Johns, Deputy Administrator, Small Business Administration, Washington, DC
  • Christian Foster, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service, Washington, DC Panel 2

  • Mark Rice, President, Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, Baltimore, MD
  • Mitchell Goetze, President and COO, Goetze's Candy Company, Inc., Baltimore, MD
  • Maurice Kogon, Director, Center for International Trade Development, El Camino College, Hawthorne, CA
  • Wade Merritt, Vice-President, State International Development Organizations (SIDO), Vice-President, Maine International Trade Center, South Portland, ME

    Additional Items:

    		•