EPI: “Make it in America” bills will advance U.S. manufacturing

[ProSense]

“Make it in America” bills will advance U.S. manufacturing

Robert E. Scott

The U.S. House of Representatives is to be applauded for passing a series of bills last week designed to help the manufacturing sector recover from the Great Recession and the loss of 5.6 million manufacturing jobs in the past decade. These bills are part of a larger, 17-bill “Make in America” initiative announced in mid-July by House Democrats. One measure would create an Emergency Trade Deficit Commission that would identify the causes and consequences of the trade deficit and of “significant, persistent bilateral deficits.” The Commission would develop policies and recommendations for reducing trade deficits.

The House passed three additional manufacturing measures this month. The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act would promote exports of clean energy goods and technology with a $75 million fund. The National Manufacturing Strategy Act would require the administration to develop a manufacturing strategy and submit it to Congress for approval. The Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act is designed to bring together education, labor, workforce, and other groups to align training and education with local employers’ needs in specific industries.

Both the House and the Senate also passed the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, which reduces miscellaneous tariffs on a group of products no longer made in the United States but needed by U.S. manufacturers.

For 110 years the United States has been the leading manufacturing country in the world. However, as Representative Daniel Lipinski (D., Ill.) noted, “The United States is about to lose that perch to China.” One of the most important steps Congress can take to rebuild U.S. manufacturing is to end Chinese currency manipulation. One of the best ways to do that is for Congress to pass legislation that would impose a tariff on Chinese imports if the Chinese government fails to raise the value of its currency by at least 40% by a date certain. Congressman Sander Levin (D., Mich.), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, will be holding hearings on the China currency issue on September 15. The time is now for swift, specific action to end currency manipulation.

Make It In America

July 28th, 2010

House Democrats are working on a “Make it in America” manufacturing strategy to create the high-skill, high-wage jobs of the future—promoting American competitiveness, innovation, and exports. As Speaker Pelosi explained last week, “our strategy will create new American jobs building wind turbines and solar panels to power our homes and businesses. We will force China and other countries to honor fair trade principles; put returning veterans to work in clean energy jobs; and strengthen partnerships with businesses to retrain our workforce.”

Last week, the House passed the first legislative piece, the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, to increase the competitiveness of U.S firms and support tens of thousands of jobs here at home. The Senate passed the bill yesterday, and the bill is on the way to the President’s desk.

Today, the House passed three more components of the “Make It In America” strategy:

The National Manufacturing Strategy Act, which will develop a clear plan to strengthen our manufacturing sector

The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act, which promotes American clean technology exports and clean energy jobs

The End the Trade Deficit Act, which establishes a commission to tackle the U.S. trade deficit

Speaker Pelosi on today’s bills:

Today, the House took steps to strengthen the competitiveness of America’s workers and businesses and help grow our economy. By passing this legislation, we upheld our pledge to restore ‘made in America’ to the center of our prosperity – knowing that when we make it in America, we create good-paying jobs here at home and lead the global economy.

These bills reflect our commitment to creating the high-skill, high-wage jobs of the future, and promoting American innovation and exports. With these measures, we are calling for a strategy to strengthen our manufacturing base and create jobs. We will help U.S. clean energy technology firms market and sell their products here and around the world – ensuring that American energy and know how power the 21st century. And we will take steps to reduce our trade deficit, strengthening our economy and our national security.

Our ‘Make It In America’ agenda moves our nation forward for Main Street and the middle class. Yet Congressional Republicans continue to side with Wall Street and special interests, vowing to bring back the ‘exact same’ failed Bush policies that cost us 4.6 million manufacturing jobs and doubled our trade deficit. Democrats will not let this happen. We are not going back.

source

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

1. Reducing the Trade Deficit: Step One

A bill to support the massive production and implementation of American-made alternative fuel systems. It spurs domestic manufacturing and it reduces the need for energy imports -- which do more to create trade deficits that anything else.

[cornermouse]

2. Look at your links, prosense.

This is basically lip service. There doesn't appear to be anything solid behind the statements. Basically its ideas without any wheels to put things in motion.

[ProSense]

4. You think the EPI is prone to delivering lip service?

Maybe, I should find someone's bogus opinion about how everything sucks, including the efforts to address the problems, and post that. After all, hyperbole is much more sound than the EPI's "lip service."

[cornermouse]

8. From one of your links

http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0390

"Call for a national manufacturing strategy, crucial to job creation and our economic success after losing 4.6 million manufacturing jobs under the Bush Administration.

Promote clean energy technology exports to create clean energy manufacturing jobs here at home so that America will lead the way in powering the world in the 21st Century.

Establish a commission to tackle the U.S. trade deficit -- which doubled during the Bush Administration and threatens our economic and national security by forcing us to borrow from China, for example.

Expressing the sense of the House encouraging fruit and vegetable and commodity producers to display the American flag on labels of products grown in the United States, reminding us of the healthy bounty produced by American farmers and workers"


Where's the action, prosense? Where's the money needed to back the lip service? The American flag on labels of products grown in the U.S.? Get real. I always look at the labels now. I don't need a flag. The rest of it is more of the same. Studies without any follow through. Airy plans without any actual backing. Where is the practicality?

[ProSense]

9. From one of my links

"The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act would promote exports of clean energy goods and technology with a $75 million fund. "

You: "Where's the action, prosense? Where's the money needed to back the lip service? The American flag on labels of products grown in the U.S.? Get real. I always look..."

There is about $75 million, not "lip service." Maybe you should look a little closer, and with let cynicism.

[cornermouse]

10. Who's going to make these things, prosense?

Who has the knowledge, technology/equipment to build and money in the bank to fund this; especially given the fact that they're starting out so far behind the Chinese, Germans, and Scandinavians who already have the knowledge, technology/equipment, and well established markets with satisfied buyers? Look at how far American cars are behind Prius and Honda. We're trying to catch up by putting electric cars without enough range and huge price tags up as competition? It makes no sense until and unless battery technology catches up.

Call it lip service. Call it castles in the air. There is nothing solid.

[ProSense]

11. "Look at your links, prosense." "Where's the action, prosense?"

"Who's going to make these things, prosense?"


Notice a pattern?

[cornermouse]

13. Let's put it this way.

I don't have to rely on little blue links.

[Lifelong Protester]

3. And doing away with offshore "addresses" for corporations

who dodge their fair share of taxes, while decrying the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for the weathly spelling the doom of our economy? I sure hope there is some movement towards making this type of off-shore business practice illegal.

I just skimmed your article, and will book mark for later reading.

I did buy a room fan that was made in the USA. I want to buy MORE USA made items, even if I have to shell out a couple extra dollars.

Keep manufacturing jobs here!!

[Brickbat]

5. A plan, a promotion and a commission.

Sorry, it's going to take more than that.

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. And in other news, Government Motors announces $500 MILLION dollar investment in Mexico

Does the right side of the mouth even know what the left side is saying?

I'm telling ya, you can't make this stuff up. Hollywood writers couldn't.

[ibegurpard]

14. they really do think the electorate is a bunch of clueless idiots

or else they just don't care

[LatteLibertine]

7. We really need to push this issue

All the outsourcing has been about the naked greed of the most wealthy. They could easily pay US workers and they prefer to pay others seventy cents an hour with zero benefits. US citizens can not live on that. There is no way to compete.

Another reason they've been outsourcing is to bust down unions, and to work towards their destruction. It seems fairly effective for depressing wages here too.

I feel we need to keep a solid manufacturing base in this nation for many reasons.

Time to renegotiate NAFTA and provide real incentives for business to stay here. Or at least put some damn penalties in place for those that are fine with becoming fantastically wealthy here and undermining our economy.

The wealthy have been waging a war against the middle class and poor for years. Time for us to get off our asses and say, "You want war? You got war."

[Peacetrain]

12. 6900 jobs added this year alone in at GM in the United States.. 1 in 10 jobs are

dependent in some way shape form or fashion on the American Auto Industry

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/100806-GM-Adds-Nearly-7-000-Jobs/