Today, top business leaders from around the country released a cutting-edge new report demonstrating how U.S. global leadership helps American businesses grow and create jobs here at home.

This new report, entitled “U.S. Global Leadership: A Strategic Investment in U.S. Jobs,” illustrates how in today’s global economy, America must invest in development and diplomacy to open new markets to U.S. businesses and create jobs here at home.

The report was crafted after extensive research and strategy sessions by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s Economic Working Group, co-chaired by Bill Lane of Caterpillar and John Murphy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Representatives of some of the top companies in the world, including Boeing, GE, Walmart, Procter & Gamble and many more were a part of the discussions.

In their introductory letter, the Co-Chairs write “With 95% of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, it is increasingly clear America’s economic prosperity is linked to economic currents elsewhere in the world…Half of U.S. exports today are to the developing world, and trends reveal those markets will grow at a far faster pace than many of our more traditional partners. Clearly, these merging and developing markets are central to the future of American economic prosperity. American businesses need a wide array of available tools to succeed in these new environments, and the International Affairs Budget is one of the most cost-effective tools we have to help our economy grow.”

The members of the Economic Working Group end the report with a call for policymakers to embrace the principles of America’s global leadership as a key strategic investment for growing American jobs.

They write “The world is not standing still, and American businesses and workers run the risk of being left behind if the United States does not continue to play its traditional role in maintaining a level playing field and opening markets. The question is not whether the United States can afford to make this investment; it is how we could possibly afford not to.”

Click here to read the full report!