This week, Representatives Cindy Axne (IA-03), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), and Fred Upton (MI-6) introduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that already passed in the Senate which would establish a website to serve as a hub to connect manufacturers with federal manufacturing programs.
The Manufacturing.gov Act addresses a Government Accountability Office report that found the federal government maintains 58 different manufacturing programs across 11 federal agencies—creating unnecessary hurdles and making it more difficult for manufacturers to access these programs.
“This bipartisan measure will help Iowa in three distinct and important ways: it will connect Iowa manufacturers with new opportunities, it will create jobs in our communities, and it will strengthen our supply chains by creating more here at home,” said Rep. Axne. “By streamlining the ways that our local manufacturers can connect with federal programs, we ensure good opportunities don’t go unutilized because of government bureaucracy.”
Rep. Axne is also adding this bill to her Supply Chain Solutions Agenda – a list of seven bills that she supports that will ease supply chain bottlenecks, grow domestic manufacturing opportunities, and lower costs for Iowa families.
The Agenda includes the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which passed the House last week, and other bipartisan measures that Axne has co-sponsored.
“Supporting our domestic manufacturing industry will immensely benefit our economy, job growth and global competitiveness,” Congressman Tonko said. “With the COVID crisis putting added strain on the industry, it is critical that we strengthen our domestic supply chain by supporting American manufacturers. The Manufacturing.gov Act helps deliver that key support by making federal programs and resources more accessible to manufacturers in New York and across the country. I applaud the work of Senator Peters to pass this legislation in the Senate and urge my colleagues in the House to come together in bipartisan fashion to bolster U.S. manufacturing.”
“Now more than ever, we need to take steps today to secure our supply chain and bring manufacturing jobs back to Michigan and the United States,” said Rep. Fred Upton. “This bipartisan legislation will give our local manufacturers in Southwest Michigan another ‘tool in the toolbox’ to optimize their daily operations, build products that Americans use every day, and create good-paying jobs. Strengthening domestic manufacturing, which has unfortunately declined over the last couple decades, is a top priority for me and a critical mission as we look to compete with China and emerge as a global and economic leader in the 21st Century.”
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Todd Young (R-IN) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced an identical companion bill in the Senate, which was passed in October 2021.
“This commonsense, bipartisan bill will make it easier for manufacturers in Michigan and across the country to navigate federal resources that can help them grow and succeed,” said Senator Peters, member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “I’m proud to have passed this bill in the Senate, and applaud Congressman Tonko’s work to champion this effort in the House to give our domestic manufacturing capabilities a critical boost. I look forward to passing the Manufacturing.gov Act into law.”
