Rubio, Peters Introduce Bills to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing and Increase Competitiveness

Press Release

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced two pieces of legislation to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing sector and increase competitiveness.

Rubio and Peters introduced the National Manufacturing Advisory Council for the 21st Century Act, which would revive and elevate the National Manufacturing Advisory Council. The Council advises and provides guidance from the private sector to the federal government on federal manufacturing promotion programs. A previous council met only intermittently in recent years. This bill would formally establish the Council as a critical component in federal manufacturing policy and strategy.

Rubio, Peters, and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Manufacturing.gov Act, which would make manufacturing.gov a one-stop hub to connect manufacturers with federal manufacturing programs. The legislation would also require the U.S. Department of Commerce to utilize artificial intelligence to further enable the website to answer questions from manufacturers and to receive feedback from manufacturers about their needs.

"Now more than ever it is critical that we take steps to bolster our country's manufacturing base," Rubio said. "We cannot risk the United States falling behind our global competitors like China. The pandemic exposed our vulnerabilities, which pose a serious threat to our economic and national security. I am proud to co-lead these two bills to strengthen U.S. manufacturing, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support these measures."

"Our international competitors know something I have long said: you cannot be a great country if you don't make things. For too long, our federal government has taken a piecemeal approach to manufacturing that has stifled innovation and puts us at a global competitive disadvantage," Peters said. "This pandemic further exposed the very serious challenges in our federal manufacturing strategy, and we must prioritize manufacturing as a major national priority. By doing so we can strengthen our manufacturing capabilities, bring jobs back to Michigan and bolster our national security. That's why I'm pleased to reintroduce legislation to establish a National Institute of Manufacturing and new bills that will revitalize our manufacturing policy. Passing these bills will improve coordination among federal agencies and make federal resources more readily available to manufacturers in Michigan and across the country as they look to recover from this pandemic. I'll be working to build additional support and advance these bills through Congress."

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