Blackburn’s bipartisan bill would bolster support for American manufacturing

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently offered a bipartisan bill that aims to help the United States mitigate global supply chain issues caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

If enacted, the Strengthening Support for American Manufacturing Act, S. 3434, which Sen. Blackburn cosponsored on Dec. 17 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), would commission a study on the manufacturing programs of the U.S. Commerce Department, according to the bill’s text.

“The global supply chain crisis resulting from our dependence on Communist China underscored the importance of strengthening American manufacturing,” Sen. Blackburn said in a Jan. 5 statement.  “The Strengthening Support for American Manufacturing Act will streamline programs run by the Department of Commerce to eliminate government waste and improve efficiency. This legislation will benefit the manufacturing community based in Tennessee and across the U.S.”

The study conducted under S. 3434 would address manufacturing-related issues by identifying ways to improve the Commerce Department’s management of its programs and providing legislative recommendations to create a single agency responsible for administering them, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Blackburn’s staff.

“For too long our country has lacked a coherent, national manufacturing strategy like our foreign competitors, particularly the Chinese government,” said Sen. Peters. “Additionally, federal support for manufacturers is often fractured, uncoordinated and difficult to navigate. That’s why I was proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to generate a more efficient, unified approach to federal manufacturing policy, and ensure we remain a global manufacturing leader for generations.”

The bill has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.