Make It in America

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I want to call to the attention of my colleagues, as the four of you have done so well tonight and in nights past, we just had a very significant conference on the eastern shore of Maryland. In that conference, we discussed the agenda that we call Make It In America. Make It In America, as I am sure you explained earlier in the evening, I heard much of what you had to say, not all, but Make It In America is about succeeding in America, making it. There are a lot of Americans who are not sure that they, or at least their children, are going to make it.

In addition, Americans overwhelmingly respond, and we hear a lot of talk about listening to the American public, I think that is something we ought to do, but they overwhelmingly respond that their belief is in order for us to continue to be the great economic engine for opportunity in this country, it will be necessary for us to continue to make things in this country. To make it in America, whatever ``it'' is. In addition to that, to grow things in America, as we do so well, and sell them not only domestically but around the world. That's the President's focus on doubling our exports. He knows, as we know, that if we are not making things, the possibility of doubling our exports is zero.

I believe that people around the world respect and want to buy American products. Unfortunately, we are not making as many products as we used to. The President has asked Jeffrey Immelt of GE to head up a task force which looks, in effect, to enhance our ability to make it in America, to grow jobs in America, to grow good paying jobs with good benefits in America.

The American people understand that if we don't do that, 20 years from now the United States of America will not be, as it is today, the economic engine of the world. It is true our competitor in some sense in China is growing, but they still have a far way to go before they match the United States' ability to produce goods and services.

The founder of Intel, Mr. Grove, has written an article about how we need to make it in America; his point being that we are the center of innovation, inventiveness, and development in the world. But his point is then made that in too many instances we are inventing products, innovating how they can be used, developing them, but then bringing them to scale--that is, manufacturing them for consumption on a broad basis--overseas. His premise is, and I agree with him on this conclusion, that if we continue to do that, that our inventors and innovators will migrate to where the product is being taken to scale or, in other words, manufactured for large-scale consumption.

I am hopeful that Republicans and Democrats can join together in this Make It In America agenda. We passed a number of pieces of legislation in the last Congress that were supported on a bipartisan basis, some of which have already been signed by the President, because on both sides of the aisle there is an understanding and I think a commitment to create an environment in which it is possible to make it in America and profit by doing so.

I think we are all harkened by the fact that Ford has brought plants back from Mexico and China, that Whirlpool has brought plants back, that GE has brought plants back, as well as others, and decided to manufacture things here in America and do so profitably; that they can make a quality product here with skilled labor, well-educated labor that will produce a quality product, higher productivity, and therefore result in profits.

I want to congratulate particularly the gentleman from California, a former State leader in California, still a great leader from California, but he has come to this body just a few years ago to succeed Ellen Tauscher, who became Assistant Secretary of State. He has done an extraordinary job in a very short period of time, and his focus on this Make It In America is unsurpassed, unequaled in this Congress. I want to thank him for his leadership and focus. And I want to thank Mr. Ellison and Mr. Pallone and Mr. Tonko for their focus, because I think we are on the right track on this.

I think our Republican colleagues hopefully will join us as partners not to take partisan credit for this but, that America will be advantaged, America's people will be advantaged. The reduction of our deficit as we grow the economy will be advantaged, and we will see an America that is on the rise in terms of growing our economy, creating jobs, good paying jobs, and opportunities and future for our people.

So I congratulate and thank the gentleman from California, the gentleman from New York, the gentleman from New Jersey, and the gentleman from Minnesota for their leadership and communication to the American people of what this Make It In America agenda is all about.

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Mr. HOYER. I'll try to take a minute.

Let me say what I think is so good about this agenda Make It In America.

It is an agenda that, unlike some, brings us together and doesn't divide us. From left to right--Republican, Democrat--people all over this country understand that, if we are going to be a great country, as we are today, and if we are going to remain so in the future, it will be because we continue to be a manufacturing country, a country that makes it in America.

I have talked to the National Association of Manufacturers, the Chamber of Commerce, and organized labor. This is an agenda item that will bring labor and management, business and workers together to cooperate so that America will continue, not only to make it in America, but to do so in an expanding way rather than in a shrinking way. We've been doing some growth in the last few months, in the last year, in the last 2 years, in the last 3 years, but not enough. We can do more.

Make It In America is the agenda for the future.

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