Commerce at a Glance: July 30, 2021

The Latest News

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo Announces $3 Billion Investment in America’s Communities

Recently, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) will implement a series of programs, collectively called Investing in America’s Communities, to equitably invest the $3 billion it received from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act to help communities across the country build back better.

Secretary Raimondo Lauds Renewed Commitment to Attract International Students and Bolster U.S. Education Exports

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo issued a statement on the release of a new Joint Statement of Principles in Support of International Education, which aims to increase the competitiveness of the U.S. education industry and attract more international students to educational institutions across the country.

Statement from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

After the announcement of a bipartisan infrastructure deal, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo released the following statement: "Today, we are one step closer to making a historic investment in America’s infrastructure that will create millions of jobs and position the U.S. to remain competitive in the 21st century. From the start, President Biden was committed to bringing Republicans and Democrats together to get this done, and both sides came together in good faith to reach a deal that will strengthen every community."

Joint Statement by Secretaries Mayorkas and Raimondo on President Biden’s New National Security Memorandum

On Wednesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo released a joint statement on President Biden’s signing of a new National Security Memorandum, “Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems.”

“Today, President Biden signed a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) to implement long overdue efforts to meet the scale and severity of the cybersecurity threats our country continues to face. This NSM takes a key step toward improving the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure by directing the Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce to work together, alongside other agencies, in developing cybersecurity performance goals that set a clear, easy-to-understand security baseline."

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the National Trademark System

It was 75 years ago this month that President Harry S. Truman signed Rep. Fritz Lanham’s Trademark Act into law. This landmark legislation made possible today’s system of trademark registration and protection, but it took almost a decade of debate in Congress with countless hearings on the need to replace earlier, outdated statutes and the patchwork of trademark systems in each of the states. Today, the U.S. economy is the beneficiary of those efforts and this masterful law that has stood the test of time, transforming the U.S. economy through the growth of national and global brands.

Deputy Secretary Don Graves Hosts Roundtable with Minority-Owned Business Leaders to Address Critical Need for Investments in the Care Economy

Deputy Secretary Don Graves hosted a virtual roundtable discussion earlier this month with minority-owned business leaders to address the critical need to create and invest in a care economy, especially for minority-owned businesses. The event comes as Secretary Raimondo and the Biden Administration continue to emphasize the need for transformational investments in America’s care infrastructure.

“More than 2 million women are out of work and women's participation in the workforce has dropped to the lowest level in more than 30 years,” said Deputy Secretary Graves. “To build a strong economy we need to invest in the care economy.”

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Around Commerce

New “Destructive” Severe Thunderstorm Warning category to trigger Wireless Emergency Alerts on mobile phones

Severe thunderstorms can be life-threatening, but not all severe storms are the same. Starting August 2, the National Weather Service will better convey the severity and potential impacts from thunderstorm winds and hail by adding a “damage threat” tag to Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, similar to our Tornado and Flash Flood Warnings.

Solving the Nation’s Problems Through Civic Tech Collaboration

The U.S. Census Bureau’s The Opportunity Project (TOP) is leading efforts to solve these and other national challenges by bringing technologists, governments, and communities together to quickly create digital products using federal open data. To date, more than 1,500 individuals, 30 federal agencies and hundreds of organizations have participated in TOP, leading to 135 new open data tools.

FirstNet and Wildfire Response Operations: 5 Things You Need to Know

Wildland fires continue to burn at all-time highs. From January to July 2021, more than 2.6 million acres were burned nationwide. As part of our engagement efforts, we spoke to several wildland firefighters and agencies about lessons learned of using public safety broadband for combatting wildfires. Here are their takeaways and key things to keep in mind when it comes to using FirstNet to support the frontlines:

How Do You Measure the Thrust of a Rocket Engine?

Rockets that launch into space have to be able to push a lot of weight. They have to overcome the relentless pull of gravity while carrying themselves and their payloads into orbit or beyond. Researchers who design rocket engines need to be able to test them, without actually launching the rockets, to make sure that they are producing enough thrust to accomplish their task. So how do they test them?

Data and Reports

Gross Domestic Product, Second Quarter 2021 (Advance Estimate) and Annual Update

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting the continued economic recovery, reopening of establishments, and continued government response related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Which States Are Sending the Most Olympians to the Summer Games?

Team USA is sending 613 athletes from 46 states to this summer’s 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were postponed a year due to the pandemic. California, the most populous state, is sending the most (126) but Colorado is sending more per capita (5.9 per million).

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IoT Non-Technical Supporting Capabilities: You Talked, We Listened

As part of our ongoing community engagement following the publication of four IoT cybersecurity draft documents in December 2020, NIST conducted a quartet of roundtable discussions in June 2021 focused on draft NISTIR 8259B, IoT Non-Technical Supporting Capability Core Baseline. The roundtables spanned four weeks, and addressed the four core capabilities defined in NISTIR 8259B. This blog provides a brief summary of takeaways that we heard at the four roundtable sessions.

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