U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) on May 18 sponsored a bill that would establish a Manufacturing Security and Resilience Council to oversee national policy and administer a $25 billion grant program to incentivize American companies operating abroad to move their manufacturing to the United States or other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
“As the United States begins to recover from the worst pandemic of our lifetime, we must take ambitious steps to strengthen the supply chains that serve our national interest,” Rep. Kinzinger said. “By incentivizing American companies to return their manufacturing to the U.S., we will not only bolster our national security, but support good paying American jobs.”
The congressman introduced the bipartisan Manufacturing Abilities Determine Economies (MADE) in the Americas Act, H.R. 3309, with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), which also would prioritize and expedite the establishment of free trade agreements between the U.S. and other markets in the Western Hemisphere, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Kinzinger’s office.
“Given the complexity of market forces, we are likely unable to bring all these manufacturing operations to the U.S., which is why this legislation would incentivize moving operations to our allies in the Western Hemisphere as a secondary priority,” said Rep. Kinzinger. “It is my hope that these incentives would also help address the root causes of irregular immigration.”
If enacted, H.R. 3309 would seek to help safeguard against disruptions to the supply chains for essential articles, such as personal protective equipment, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and other critical equipment that some countries like China threatened to withhold from the U.S. as the spread of COVID-19 accelerated.