We have found that the TPCC and its member  agencies have improved coordination in several areas, but we also found  shortcomings in the committee’s response to the budget-related portions  of its mandate. The TPCC agreed with our findings and  recommendation. The TPCC Does Not Report or Collect Information on How Resources Align with Priorities

		National Export Strategies Outline Priorities, but Do Not Identify Associated Resources

The Export Enhancement Act states that the TPCC’s strategies should  establish a set of priorities for federal export promotion activities and  propose a unified federal trade promotion budget that supports the plan. Despite the current emphasis on export promotion as a high-priority goal,  the level of detail on agencies’ budgets presented in the TPCC’s National  Export Strategies has decreased. TPCC secretariat officials acknowledged that the amount of budget  information presented in the National Export Strategies has declined and  that the TPCC members currently place little emphasis on displaying or  discussing agencies’ resources. The Budget Data the TPCC Collects Are Not Useful for Assessing Resource Allocations

			The TPCC Collects Some High- Level Budget Data

The TPCC periodically collects summary data on agencies’ total budget  authority for export promotion activities with OMB’s assistance. To be useful for assessing how agencies’  resources are allocated, data should, among other things, be consistent  and sufficiently comprehensive for the intended purpose. Some TPCC member agencies conduct activities in more  than one priority area. Among its many activities, USDA  supports the goals of increasing exports by small and medium-sized  enterprises and increasing export credit available to U.S. businesses. The data are not current: The TPCC’s data are not comprehensive  because they do not include current information about agencies’  resources. However, the TPCC does not provide  decision makers—including Congress and the Export Promotion  Cabinet—with information that provides a clear understanding of how  resources are currently allocated across the country and around the world  among its member agencies or across federal export promotion priorities. The TPCC has responded to the National Export  Initiative by reporting on efforts to address established priorities and  working to improve interagency coordination, but the committee currently  places almost no emphasis on understanding the federal resources  dedicated to implementing the National Export Strategy, as is called for in  good practices. In the absence of clear guidance, the data the TPCC  collects are not comparable across agencies and not comprehensive  enough to allow the TPCC to determine how resources are currently  allocated in support of priority activities. Without consistent and comprehensive information on export  promotion resources—presented transparently through the TPCC’s  annual strategies—decision makers in Congress and the administration  cannot determine whether the return on the federal investment in export  promotion is adequate or make informed decisions about future resource  allocations. Recommendations for Executive Action

To improve the consistency, comprehensiveness, and transparency of  information provided to Congress and policymakers on the federal  investment in export promotion programs, the Secretary of Commerce, as  chair of the TPCC, should  1.  develop and distribute guidance for member agencies on what  information they should provide the TPCC on the resources they  spend on export promotion activities, and  2.  report in its National Export Strategies on how resources are allocated  by agency and aligned with priorities. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

This report assesses the extent to which the Trade Promotion  Coordinating Committee (TPCC) currently compiles and reports  information on how budgetary resources are aligned with established  export promotion priorities. We also interviewed staff of the TPCC Secretariat,  which is housed in the Department of Commerce, and staff of the Office  of Management and Budget (OMB).
Why GAO Did This Study

In 2010, the President launched the NEI with the goal of doubling U.S. exports over 5 years. More than 2 decades ago, Congress directed the President to establish the TPCC to provide a unifying framework for federal efforts in this area. Among other things, Congress directed the TPCC to assess the appropriate levels and allocations of resources and develop a government-wide strategic plan that identifies federal export promotion priorities, reviews current programs in light of these priorities, and proposes to the President a federal trade promotion budget that supports the plan. Congress also required the TPCC to submit annual reports to Congress describing the required strategic plan.
This report assesses the extent to which the TPCC compiles and reports information on how federal export promotion resources are aligned with export promotion priorities. GAO reviewed the laws governing the TPCC and good practices for interagency initiatives, analyzed TPCC budget data and documents, and interviewed TPCC secretariat and Office of Management and Budget staff.

What GAO Found

The interagency Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) neither reports nor compiles information on how federal export promotion resources align with government-wide priorities. As a result, decision makers lack a clear understanding of the total resources dedicated across the country and around the world by TPCC member agencies to priority areas, such as increasing exports by small- and medium-sized businesses. GAO has previously reported that effective national strategies should address costs and has found shortcomings in the committee's response to the budget-related portions of its mandate. While the TPCC's National Export Strategy reports issued since initiation of the National Export Initiative (NEI) outline government-wide priorities and progress in achieving them, they do not discuss how resources are allocated in support of these priorities. Despite the current emphasis on export promotion as a high-priority goal, recent strategies have provided less information on budget resources than have previous strategies, as shown below. The TPCC last publicly reported a summary budget table in 2008. TPCC secretariat officials acknowledged that the TPCC agencies currently place little emphasis on displaying or discussing agencies' resources in the National Export Strategy.
The TPCC last compiled high-level data on member agencies' budget authority in 2011, but this information is not useful for assessing resource allocations. To be useful, data should, among other things, be consistent and sufficiently complete for the intended purpose. However, the TPCC's data are inconsistent across agencies and not detailed enough to facilitate an understanding or comparison of how resources are allocated among priorities. TPCC agencies do not use a common definition of export promotion, so it is unclear why some agencies are included in the TPCC's data and others are not, and the TPCC's data are not current. Although agency accounting systems and budget processes differ, which presents challenges, clear guidance for agencies on what information they should provide the TPCC could improve the quality of the data. Without better information on agencies' export promotion resources, decision makers cannot determine whether the federal investment in export promotion is being used effectively or make informed decisions about future resource decisions.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that TPCC (1) develop and distribute guidance for member agencies on what information they should provide the TPCC on the resources they spend on export promotion activities; and (2) report in its National Export Strategies on how resources are allocated by agency and aligned with the strategy's priorities. The TPCC secretariat agreed with our recommendations and stated it plans to take steps to address them.