Emphasizes Importance of Broadband & Racial Equity to Workforce Development In honor of Manufacturing Month, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves traveled to Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio from October 6-8, where he addressed the Administration’s commitment to closing the labor gap and putting Americans back to work in the wake of the pandemic. While there, Deputy Secretary Graves...

The Hispanic American community is deeply rooted in the history of the United States and are an integral part of the rich fabric of our nation. True to our mission of creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity—for all Americans—the Commerce Department works every day to support and invest in the Hispanic business community to create jobs and promote economic growth. Over our...

Hello everyone! It’s great to be here with you all at the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Thank you, Judy, for the kind introduction and for your remarkable leadership. Today I’d like to introduce you to our new MBDA political leadership and share what we’re doing at the Department of Commerce to advocate for minority businesses. Since May, we’ve been proud to have Miguel Estien serve...

Hello everyone! It’s great to be here with you at the Cuyahoga Community College Roundtable. Thank you, Dr. Johnson, for that kind introduction and for organizing this event. I’d also like to thank our Northern Ohio District Export Council members for volunteering your time to support our trade community. And I want to express my gratitude to Jodi Berg from Vitamix and Jack Schron from Jergens for...

Manufacturing Day 2021 (MFG Day), Oct. 1, 2021, is an opportunity to celebrate the resilience of U.S. manufacturing. Due to the pandemic, America’s manufacturers faced closures, difficulty finding workers, and trouble sourcing materials. Yet many manufacturing firms completely changed course, keeping doors opened, people employed, and producing the things we need. This can-do spirit of problem...

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Don Graves hosted the convening of national experts to officially launch the Department of Commerce’s new Job Quality Initiative. The initiative is aimed at ultimately helping American employers become more competitive by providing their workers with high quality jobs. “Having a job isn’t just about a paycheck – it’s also...

Good afternoon, everyone! And thank you for participating in today’s webinar. While today’s event is virtual, I hope that we can host future events like this one in person. It is my absolute privilege to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and to be part of the Biden-Harris Administration that is not only committed to building back better, but to doing so in a more equitable way. In the last...

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program, which will direct $268 million for expanding broadband access and connectivity to eligible Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), minority-serving...

On July 22, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced six programs , collectively called Investing in America’s Communities, that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will execute to equitably invest the $3 billion it received from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. This EDA investment is the largest economic development initiative from the Department of Commerce in...

Last week, Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced a series of programs to equitably invest the $3 billion in funding the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration received from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Secretary Raimondo laid out the Biden Administration’s vision for the investment during the White House press briefing on Thursday. What people are...