(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after President Obama nominated Gary Locke to be Commerce Secretary.
“I applaud President Obama’s nomination of Gary Locke as Commerce Secretary. Those of us from Washington state know Gary’s story and record of accomplishment well. In his over two decades of service to Washington state, Gary boosted business, created jobs and displayed the leadership needed to move our state and nation forward.
“I am particularly pleased that President Obama has chosen someone with a great understanding of the needs of the Pacific Northwest to head this agency. Gary will not face a learning curve on critically important issues like fisheries, the environment and international trade.
“As Governor of the most trade dependent state in the nation, Gary engaged leaders from Canada to Asia to open markets for American goods. He led our state during the tech boom and knows that our future economic strength will be heavily tied to innovation and technological advances. And especially in this time of economic uncertainty, Gary’s experience in helping small and minority-owned businesses to grow and flourish is experience that will pay off for our entire country.
“I look forward to Gary’s Senate confirmation and to continuing our work together for our state and nation.”
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