From USA-ITA OFF THE CUFF for August 10, 2012
On July 31st, USA-ITA President Julia K. Hughes attended an elite meeting of the White House Business Council in the White House Roosevelt Room, hosted by Under Secretary of International Trade Francisco Sanchez of the U.S. Department of Commerce. While President Obama didn’t make an appearance, his Chief of Staff Jack Loo did, along with Ari Matusiak, Executive Director of the White House Business Council; Alan Krueger, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors; and Steven VanRoekel, U.S. Chief Information Officer. The attendees—who included the CEOs of Univision, Virgin Galactic, and Rosetta Stone, as well as recording industry leader Emilio Estefan, among others—discussed topics including economic trends and ways to drive growth through innovation. While the economy was the main concern, obviously trade policy was also on the agenda. The importance of open markets and the Obama Administration commitment to expanded trade – through Free Trade Agreements and the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations – were another important theme.