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Committee member urges stronger commercial diplomacy, introduces HR 9062
Summary
A member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs told a hearing that limited staffing and uneven Foreign Commercial Service coverage hamper U.S. businesses abroad and described HR 9062, the Boost American Business Act, which would create targeted training and a foreign service specialization for State Department economic officers.
A member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs told a committee hearing that the United States needs a coordinated, expert-driven commercial diplomacy model to help American businesses succeed overseas.
The lawmaker said current tools “are spread across agencies and implemented unevenly at our posts,” noting that the Foreign Commercial Service has “only about 200 personnel” and covers roughly one-third of U.S. posts. That, the member said, often forces State Department economic officers without dedicated commercial-diplomacy training to take on the work, producing “gaps, unclear responsibilities, and missed opportunities for U.S. companies.”
To address those gaps, the committee member described HR 9062, the Boost American Business Act, which would provide targeted commercial-diplomacy training to State Department personnel who already perform this work where the Foreign Commercial Service is absent. The legislation would establish “a foreign service specialization to build portable expertise without duplicating FCS efforts or displacing commerce personnel,” the member said.
The member also said State Department leadership has begun administrative efforts to elevate commercial diplomacy. “Under secretary Jacob Helberg … has stressed its centrality to U.S. economic interests,” the member said, and referenced plans by Jason Evans to retrain economic officers. The member credited assistant secretaries Orr and Fogel with launching a commercial-diplomacy enterprise to better support American businesses.
While acknowledging the contributions of current FCS officers, the committee member urged Congress to consider giving the department authorities and resources to institutionalize training and clarify responsibilities. “Equip those doing the job today to do it better while respecting FCS contributions,” the member said.
The hearing proceeded with the lawmaker thanking assistant secretaries Orr and Fogel for appearing and saying the committee looks forward to a “productive discussion” on strengthening commercial diplomacy.
The committee member’s remarks were an opening statement to a hearing devoted to commercial diplomacy; the transcript does not name the speaker. The hearing next moves into testimony and discussion with State Department officials and witnesses.
