In honor of Pride Month, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Don Graves joined Commerce employees earlier this month in raising the Progress Pride Flag outside the Commerce Department building. Flown throughout June, the flag celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQI+ community. “Pride Month is a celebration of the courage and contributions of the LGBTQI+ community,” said Secretary...

According to new survey data from the Federal Reserve’s 2023 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (“SHED”), low-income families are more likely to reduce work to care for young children while high income families are more likely to pay for care. [i] These differing decisions have financial consequences, as families who reduce work are less well off financially than those who are not...

How much heat can a person safely endure? It depends. Much less visible and dramatic than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, heat is considered the silent killer, affecting the lives and health of people across the country. An average of 702 heat-related deaths occur each year in the United States, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Certain groups of...

New plan to increase diversity and participation in STEM, inventorship, and innovation The Commerce Department’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced a new National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation to connect more Americans with resources to spur innovation and entrepreneurship. In conjunction with the agency’s work with the Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI 2 ), the...

Biden-Harris Administration expands agency efforts to ensure operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce joined more than 20 federal agencies to release its updated Climate Adaptation Plan and expand the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to ensure federal operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts. The updated...

Juneteenth is not just a federal holiday but is an observance of the perseverance and determination of African Americans throughout our Nation’s history. Early in his Presidency, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law commemorating June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their emancipation. Juneteenth became the...

Earlier this month, the Department of Commerce Office of Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, in partnership with Hispanic Access , hosted the National Latino Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. This summit was a significant step towards empowering the Latino community and building their capacity to advocate for themselves, their families, and their community. Secretary Raimondo, Deputy...

Did you know U.S. veteran-owned businesses generate $1 trillion annually, employing 3.6 million people? As part of President Biden’s commitment to veterans, military families, and caregivers, the Commerce Department’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is at the forefront of providing intellectual property (IP) and entrepreneurship guidance to service members on active duty, military spouses...