Today, over 130 industry leaders authored a letter to House & Senate leadership praising the supply chain provisions in the America COMPETES Act of 2022. The America COMPETES Act of 2022 includes proposals authored by Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) to bolster U.S. supply chains and spur domestic manufacturing of critical goods. The conference process to reconcile the two bills passed in the House and Senate will begin imminently. Blunt Rochester, Malinowski, and Kinzinger all serve on the conference committee.
"The pandemic laid bare what many of us have known for years: American workers and consumers--and thus the American economy--depend on a robust supply chain bolstered by American manufacturers," the business leaders wrote. "The federal government needs dedicated funding to help manufacturers meet these challenges in times of crisis, as well as supply chain expertise and the ability to nimbly coordinate across agencies and policy silos to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, drive manufacturing growth, and ensure the continued availability, accessibility, and affordability of critical products."
"As you discuss the path forward for provisions subject to the conference process in both chambers, we encourage you to support enactment of this Program and the other critical measures in the supply chain resilience subtitle,"the business leaders continued. "Adopting these provisions of the House-passed COMPETES Act as part of bipartisan legislation to support American competitiveness will empower unprecedented expertise at the Department and the ability to invest in sectors critical to the health, economic well- being, and security of our country."
The full letter can be found below:
May 10, 2022
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leaders Schumer, McCarthy, and McConnell:
As members of Congress come together to advance bipartisan legislation strengthening supply chains and enhancing U.S. economic competitiveness, the undersigned organizations write to express our strong support for the Manufacturing Security and Resilience Program and other critical provisions included in the supply chain resilience subtitle of the House-passed America COMPETES Act (Sec. 20201 through 20211 of H.R. 4521).
The pandemic laid bare what many of us have known for years: American workers and consumers-- and thus the American economy--depend on a robust supply chain bolstered by American manufacturers. The federal government needs dedicated funding to help manufacturers meet these challenges in times of crisis, as well as supply chain expertise and the ability to nimbly coordinate across agencies and policy silos to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, drive manufacturing growth, and ensure the continued availability, accessibility, and affordability of critical products.
The America COMPETES Act contains provisions that would establish a Manufacturing Security and Resilience Program ("Program") to support businesses working to develop, diversify, preserve, and improve critical supply chains and the manufacturing of critical goods. The Program would be administered within the Department of Commerce ("Department"), which would be responsible for leading a government-wide effort to invest in manufacturing and address supply chain risk. Through grants, loans, and loan guarantees, the Program would support the development of new technologies, growth in the U.S. manufacturing base, re-tooling of industrial equipment, and production of critical goods. We believe that such a Program will play an essential role in strengthening supply chains crucial for consumers and ensuring Americans' quality of life and economic prosperity for decades to come.
Additionally, we appreciate that the America COMPETES Act empowers the Department to conduct comprehensive supply chain mapping and monitoring, provide $45 billion of financial assistance to strengthen supply chains and manufacturing, and equip the private sector with the tools and best practices needed to address supply chain weaknesses before they become full blown crises. Critically, the subtitle outlines a clarified vision for the Department on its implementation of the Program, benefiting from the lessons learned from the supply chain disruptions experienced in the timeframe since Senate passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 ("USICA").
As you discuss the path forward for provisions subject to the conference process in both chambers, we encourage you to support enactment of this Program and the other critical measures in the supply chain resilience subtitle. Adopting these provisions of the House-passed COMPETES Act as part of bipartisan legislation to support American competitiveness will empower unprecedented expertise at the Department and the ability to invest in sectors critical to the health, economic well-being, and security of our country.
Sincerely,
AICC, The Independent Packaging Association Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute American Automotive Policy Council
American Chemistry Council
American Cleaning Institute
American Coatings Association
American Composites Manufacturers Association American Feed Industry Association
American Foundry Society
American Frozen Foods Institute
American Mold Builders Association
American Wood Council
Ames Chamber of Commerce
Associated Equipment Distributors
Associated Industries of Florida
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Associated Industries of Missouri
Associated Industries of Vermont
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Auto Care Association
Barrow County Chamber of Commerce
Battery Materials & Technology Coalition
Beer Institute
Berkeley Chamber of Commerce
Brick Industry Association
Buffalo Niagara Manufacturers Alliance
Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire California Manufacturers & Technology Association Can Manufacturers Institute
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
Cobb Chamber of Commerce
Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association Composite Can and Tube Institute
Consumer Brands Association
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Corn Refiners Association
Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce
Dental Trade Alliance
Effingham County Chamber of Commerce
Electronic Components Industry Association
Employ America Action Fund
Flexible Packaging Association
Forging Industry Association
Glass Packaging Institute
Global Cold Chain Alliance
Greater Des Moines Partnership
Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Manufacturers' Association
INDA, The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association
Industrial Fasteners Institute
Industrial Packaging Alliance of North America
Industrial Truck Association
Information Technology Industry Council
International Bottled Water Association
International Food Additives Council
Iowa Association of Business and Industry
Iowa Business Council
IPC - Build Electronics Better
Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce
Kansas Chamber and the Kansas Manufacturing Council Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Maine State Chamber of Commerce
Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia
Metal Powder Industries Federation
Midwest Manufacturers Association
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Mississippi Manufacturers Association
Montana Chamber of Commerce
Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
Murray County Chamber of Commerce
National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Trailer Manufacturers
National Automatic Merchandising Association
National Confectioners Association
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
National Foreign Trade Council
National Glass Association
National Marine Manufacturers Association
National Seasoning Manufacturers Association, Inc.
National Tooling and Machining Association
National Waste & Recycling Association
Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Non-Ferrous Founders' Society
North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers North American Die Casting Association
North Carolina Chamber
Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers & Employers Association Norwin Chamber of Commerce
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Inc.
Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association
Pet Advocacy Network
Plastics Pipe Institute
Plumbing Manufacturers International
Power Tool Institute
Precision Machined Products Association Precision Metalforming Association PRINTING United Alliance
Railway Supply Institute
Reshoring Initiative
Rhode Island Manufacturers Association
Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce
Rowan Chamber of Commerce
Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce San Antonio Manufacturers Association
Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce
SNAC International
Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates Society of Glass & Ceramic Decorators Products Software & Information Industry Association Somerset County Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association St. Paul Area Chamber
SynBio Coalition
Texas Association of Manufacturers
Texas International Produce Association
The Aluminum Association
The Association For Manufacturing Technology
The Carpet and Rug Institute
The Hardwood Federation
The Ohio Manufacturers' Association
The Toy Association
Utah Manufacturers Association
Valve Manufacturers Association
Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Window & Door Manufacturers Association
York County Economic Alliance