“Made In America Manufacturing Act” Welcome, But Other Issues More Important
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney announced that the first piece of legislation Senator Gillibrand introduced in the 113th Congress is a federal funding competition that encourages states and regional public-private partnerships to design and implement comprehensive strategies that spur growth for local manufacturing industries, particularly in the thriving fields of clean-tech and high-tech manufacturing, and that train workers with the skills that businesses need.
Included in the Senator’s press release is this quote from your humble blogger: “The Council of Industry commends Senator Gillibrand’s continued recognition of the important role manufacturing plays in our economy and we are pleased to support the Made in America Manufacturing Act,” said Harold King, Executive Vice President of the Council of Industry. “This Act, in conjunction with other initiatives such as renewing the R&D tax credit, will help our manufacturers compete in today’s global economy.”
In fact costs are most pressing issue facing manufacturers today. The cost of regulation, the cost of energy, the cost of tax increases the cost of new legislation. At the Atlantic’s recent forum on manufacturing NAM president Jay Timmons articulated this point very well. Timmons argued that while infrastructure, immigration reform, and energy policy are all issues, the real one is taxes and regulation. A study from his organization found that it’s 20 percent more expensive to manufacture in the United States than anywhere else.
We hope Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Maloney will help get these costs under control. That will really help ALL our members grow and add workers, not just the ones lucky enough to receive funding from the federal government.
