Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY COMPETITIVENESS ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 21, 2005)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 451 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 250.

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, as stated, 3 million Americans employed in manufacturing lost jobs in the last 4 years, 110,000 this year; total manufacturing losses in the State of Connecticut, 57,000.

It would seem to me that whomever we have at the head of this effort does not understand the scope of the job, the magnitude of it, and is not provided with enough authority to be able to conduct the job, as my colleague has pointed out. We do need someone who has real influence, substance, not a person who has marginal authority; because when you give marginal authority, it tells you what the administration thinks of the position's importance, quite frankly, of manufacturing importance.

As has been commented on, this agency and the czar that is housed within the Assistant Secretary, does not have a range of expertise to address the issues before our manufacturers, has no funding to support the position. If you have no funding, if you have no authority, then the position is one that does not really make any difference.

Mr. Chairman, we are coping with Katrina, we are coping with ongoing violence in Iraq, we are letting the moment to revitalize our manufacturing sector slip away. We need to send a signal that Congress takes this crisis seriously. If Katrina has taught us anything, it is that competence in government can make a difference in dealing with the crisis. Support the Larson amendment.

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