The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday reported that the country’s exports of goods and services dropped slightly to $188.9 billion, from $189.3 billion in August.
Exports through the first three quarters of 2013 totaled nearly $1.7 trillion, with consumer goods, automotive vehicles and parts, and travel and tourism driving year-to-date export growth, the department said.
As a result of President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI), which was launched in 2010, Commerce said the country’s exports have been on the rise. The department noted the United States exported a record $2.2 trillion dollars last year, up more than $600 billion from 2009.