U.S. and Pakistani senior trade officials will develop a joint action plan to expand bilateral trade and investment flows over the coming years, President Barack Obama and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged in a joint Oct. 23 statement after a meeting at the White House. The two sides should also conduct the 3rd U.S.-Pakistan Economic Opportunities conference soon, said the heads of state. “The President gave the assurance that the United States would strongly support efforts to enlarge and strengthen Pakistan’s economy, particularly in the energy sector,” said the statement (here). Both officials also urged a successful December World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Bali (see 13100908). U.S.-Pakistan bilateral trade was valued at more than $5 billion in 2012, said a White House fact sheet (here), adding that the U.S. is Pakistan’s largest export market. U.S. Trade Representative pushed closer ties with Pakistan at an Oct. 21 meeting with Sharif (see 13102117).

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment (TTIP) is a U.S.-Romanian, bilateral priority, Vice President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Romania, Victor Ponta, said on Oct. 22 in Washington, D.C., according to a White House statement. The two leaders agreed TTIP “has the potential to generate significant increases in the already substantial number of jobs supported by U.S.-EU trade and investment,” the White House statement read. The Obama Administration canceled the second round of TTIP talks, previously slated to take place in Brussels from Oct. 7-11, due to the now-resolved government shutdown (see 13100418).

President Barack Obama is expected to announce on Oct. 18 the nomination of Jeh Johnson for Secretary of Homeland Security. Johnson is former General Counsel at the Department of Defense. Rand Beers has held the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief post as acting secretary since Janet Napolitano vacated the position in September.

The aircraft and gas turbine engine products shifted from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List (CCL) on Oct. 15 represent the largest volume of U.S. export licenses, the highest percentage of licensed exports from 43 states, and licensed shipments of almost $21 billion a year, the White House said in a statement. The products also constituted 75 percent of USML export licenses approved solely for parts and components, said the White House. “Many of the items moved to the CCL are now eligible for export without specific licenses if intended for the ultimate end-use by the governments of 36 U.S. allies and partners (although such exports carry with them additional compliance requirements),” said the statement. “These changes will largely resolve the interoperability problem with these U.S. allies and partners.” The change comes amid a government shutdown that will prevent CCL licensing (see 13101512).

President Barack Obama will not be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali from Oct. 7-8 due to the on-going government shutdown, the White House said in an Oct. 3 release. Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) leaders intend to conduct negotiations on the sidelines of the summit. Despite the shutdown, the White House said in recent days the president still aimed to attend the summit (see 13100308). The president will now send Secretary of State John Kerry in his place. The president’s absence will hamper TPP negotiation progress, National Foreign Trade Council President Bill Reinsch said on Oct. 2.

President Barack Obama still aims to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Bali from Oct. 7-8 despite the on-going government shutdown, according to the White House (here). The U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman previously called the APEC summit a “milestone” opportunity for Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

Government agencies should be updating plans for operations in the absence of appropriations, but Congress can still prevent a government shutdown before the Oct. 1 outset of Fiscal Year 2014, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Burwell said in a memo to agency leaders (here) dated Sept. 17. Those plans (here) involve preparation for orderly shutdown in both the short-term, one to five day period, and the long term. Congressional leaders on Sept. 25 continued to conflict over stopgap funding legislation (see 13092501).

The private sector members of the President’s Export Council (PEC) endorse the administration’s decision to secure Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in collaboration with Congress, said PEC Chair James McNerney in a Sept. 19 letter to President Barack Obama marked “draft only.” McNerney submitted the letter the day after Obama appointed seven new members to the PEC (see 13091915). The U.S. faces different trade challenges since the last passage of TPA more than 10 years ago, said McNerney, adding that TPA will ensure internal U.S. trade negotiating functionality and foreign confidence in U.S. “footing.”

The U.S. export business community currently sells more goods overseas than throughout history partially because of stabilized health care costs produced by the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama said on Sept. 19 during a ceremony to appoint seven new members to the administration’s Export Council (see 13091915). Obama also urged lawmakers to pass Trade Promotion Authority legislation.

President Barack Obama on Sept. 18 announced the appointment of the following individuals to administration positions in the President’s Export Council: Kenneth C. Frazier, Andrés R. Gluski, Marillyn A. Hewson, Vanessa Keitges, Ian C. Read, Virginia M. Rometty and Arne M. Sorenson.