WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) introduced the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act on Thursday to bolster the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in the United States. The bill would require the development of a national manufacturing strategy, boosting the traditional and high-tech manufacturers that employ nearly 12 million Americans. This simple bill does not cost the federal government any money, and will have a powerful impact on manufacturing jobs.
“Manufacturing has enormous power to create jobs and drive America’s economic recovery,” Senator Coons said. “While many of our global competitors have clear national industrial policies, the U.S. government does not have a coordinated strategy for supporting America’s manufacturers. We need a national strategy that looks at skills training, R&D, trade, and the wealth of factors that contribute to our manufacturers’ success. This is a common-sense, bipartisan bill that will ensure the federal government is doing everything it can to create the conditions necessary to help America’s manufacturers grow and create jobs.” Senator Coons is the founder of the Manufacturing Jobs for America initiative in the Senate, which this bill will now join.
“The United States is a worldwide leader in manufacturing, and keeping this industry competitive is crucial to maintaining our economic edge in the global marketplace,” Senator Kirk said. “Manufacturers in Illinois employ more than half a million workers with quality jobs and account for 13.3 percent of the total state economic output. Our bill will ensure that the United States manufacturing industry remains competitive and creates new high quality jobs for generations to come.”
Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) are also cosponsors of the bill. Representative Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.-3) introduced companion legislation in the House (HR 2447) earlier this year.
The manufacturing industry contributes $1.8 trillion to the U.S. economy each year, and on its own would rank as the world’s tenth largest economy. Current federal programs and incentives support conditions for growth in the industry, yet there is no overarching national strategy. The American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act sets goals for a U.S. manufacturing strategy and requires the Administration to analyze every four years factors that impact manufacturing competitiveness.
The bill is supported by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, American Iron and Steel Institute, American Small Manufacturers Coalition, Association for Manufacturing Technology, Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, International Association of Machinists, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing, National Defense Industry Association, National Tooling and Machining Association, North American Die Casting Association, Precision Machined Products Association, Precision Metalforming Association, United Steelworkers, and United Auto Workers.