U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) led a bipartisan congressional call for President Donald Trump to support recommendations of the Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Council as he seeks to create manufacturing jobs that grow the economy.
Moran and Reed joined a bicameral, bipartisan group of lawmakers in a letter urging Trump to use the Manufacturing Council’s recommendations to advance his Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.
“Kansas manufacturers play a crucial role in our state’s success,” Moran said. “I would encourage the president to consider the recommendations of the Manufacturing Council as he works to implement his Manufacturing Jobs Initiative, particularly as the council promotes the Manufacturing USA Institutes.”
The Institutes partner with a variety of industry and academic entities such as Wichita State University and the University of Kansas to ensure that the United States remains competitive in research and development while implementing cutting-edge technologies.
The Manufacturing Council was established in 2004 to bring public and private sector leaders together to forge strategy and policies that help create high-wage jobs, develop new technologies and support the creation of new products for global markets.
The council recommended in a 2016 report that public and private leaders focus on strengthening manufacturing and defense supply chains as well as cybersecurity.
“These are two critical policy areas because manufacturing increasingly employs digital communication methods from design to production to delivery. These are just a few of the recommendations that should be a core part of an agenda to create manufacturing jobs,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers also noted that there has been bicameral, bipartisan support for manufacturing in Congress, which has led to the enactment of legislation to protect trade secrets, encourage public-private partnerships and permanently extend the research and development tax credit.
“These important actions in support of manufacturers will have a direct impact on job creation and economic growth in the United States,” the letter said.