| Thank you, your Excellency, members of the press, and honored guests for joining us. I'm honored and excited to celebrate this new development in the thriving trade relationship between the United States and Qatar. Today, we're announcing a deal of historic significance between the Boeing Company and Qatar Airways' cargo affiliate. I understand from Boeing that this is the largest dollar value commitment for freighter aircraft in the company's history. More importantly, the economic impact of this sale will reverberate throughout the United States. It's a win for our workers, our manufacturers, and our suppliers. These new freighters will be manufactured and assembled by American workers on American soil in Everett, Washington. 
Thank you for inviting me to speak today. It's great to see so many familiar faces. And thank you Governor Hutchinson for your leadership on this issue. I know there are many governors here today who are fully committed to expanding access to computer science education. As governor of Rhode Island, I also prioritized computer science education of computer science. In 2016, we launched CS4RI to ensure that every school in the state offered high-quality computer science learning experiences. We all recognize that if we want to increase economic prosperity, we must provide every American with the technology and digital skills they need to thrive in today's economy. That's why we're committed to closing the digital divide.
Thank you. It's a pleasure to be with all of you today, and I'm glad to see so many familiar faces. As a former governor, I know that your jobs have been made exponentially harder by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also made it painfully clear that reliable, high-speed internet is a necessity for everyday life. Too many families can't afford the cost of broadband service, and too many families live in areas where they can't access high-speed internet. Gaps in access mean gaps in opportunity: fewer opportunities to learn and work from home, remotely visit doctors, or stay connected with family and friends. Our economy cannot fully recover unless all Americans can fully participate.
When President Biden asked me to take this job, he told me that one of his top priorities is the revitalization of our manufacturing economy. The main reason I took this job is because my dad lost his manufacturing job when it went overseas, like so many others. And my brother told me "Dad would be so proud of you if you were a part of bringing manufacturing jobs back to America." So from day one, President Biden has recognized that if we want to compete globally, we need to invest domestically. Thanks to his leadership, the economy added 6.4 million jobs in 2021, the most in any year in U.S. history. The unemployment rate dropped nearly 70% in the last year.
Thank you to Governor DeWine, Lt. Gov. Husted, Senator Brown and Senator Portman for inviting me to join you today. Senators Brown and Portman were essential partners in our work to pass the US Innovation and Competition Act in the Senate. Thank you, also, to Reps. Joyce Beatty and Troy Balderson for your support of domestic semiconductor manufacturing. My Deputy Secretary, Don Graves, is Ohio's biggest cheerleader, and I want to thank him for joining us today as well. This is an exciting day for Ohio and our country. From day one, the Biden Administration has recognized that if we want to compete globally, we need to invest domestically.
Thank you to President Biden for inviting me to join you today. This is an exciting day for our country. Let me thank Pat Gelsinger and Intel for making this massive investment right here in America. From day one, President Biden has recognized that if we want to compete globally, we need to invest domestically. He has prioritized the revitalization of our manufacturing economy and has given those of us on his team a clear mission to bring those jobs back from overseas.
It's great to be with you today along with my friend Secretary Cardona. Our departments are working alongside the Department of Labor to achieve an equitable economic recovery that benefits employers and workers. I'd like to spend some time highlighting the programs we're working on at the Department of Commerce to invest in education and our workforce. Thanks to President Biden's American Rescue Plan, Commerce has launched a new $500 million program called the Good Jobs Challenge.
Thank you, Anne, for inviting me to join you this afternoon. I appreciate everyone's willingness to come together to discuss the importance of open-source software security. At the Commerce Department, we understand that we need to get this right. And that means working together with all of you in the private sector. I was pleased to attend the White House Cybersecurity Summit last August. And I remember the tech leaders there speaking about the challenges they are facing when it comes to open-source software.
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