American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to congratulate Dan Lipinski for authoring this legislation. It is one of the key pieces of our Make It in America agenda, which my distinguished friend from North Carolina has discussed. I also want to thank my dear and good friend, Mary Bono Mack, for her leadership on this effort.

As the gentleman said, and I can adopt the remarks of the previous speaker, Mr. Kinzinger, we do need a manufacturing policy. We do need a manufacturing renaissance. And we do need a psychology that America is going to be number one and stay number one and create the kind of good-paying jobs for our people that manufacturing provides.

Andrew Liveris, who's the chief CEO of Dow Chemical, wrote a book. The name of that book is ``Make It in America.'' Manufacture it in America. Grow it in America. Sell it here and sell it around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Mr. Lipinski's bill, the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act. This passed out of committee unanimously 4 months ago. This bill is a key part of House Democrats' Make It in America plan to strengthen American manufacturing. But it's not a Democratic plan. It's not a Republican plan. It's an American plan. All of us can resoundingly support this and take ownership of a renaissance in manufacturing.

For the past 2 years, our manufacturing sector was a bright spot in our economic recovery, seeing the first increase in manufacturing jobs since the nineties. But for the last 3 months that sector has begun to contract a little bit, a symptom of Congress' failure, in my opinion, to take serious action on legislation like Make It in America. And, yes, taxes and regulations. The gentleman was correct. That's why we need the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act. This bill will bring the public and private sectors together with labor and other stakeholders to craft plans to develop comprehensive national manufacturing strategies in 2014 and 2018.

Ladies and gentlemen, none of you doubt that our competitors across this globe are doing this. We are late to this ball game. But the good news is we are the most able, productive economy in the world, and we can compete with anybody. All we need is a good plan. Other nations around the globe have strategies to increase the manufacturing to keep America competitive. It is imperative that we have a plan as well. Not to pick winners and losers, but to create the environment of which the gentleman spoke just before me about an environment that allows manufacturing to grow.

I want to thank, again, the ranking member for his very compelling statement that he made. The Obama administration focused on revitalizing the manufacturing sector, and Representative Lipinski's bill ensures that the U.S. Government will continue to pursue policies that bolster manufacturing and add jobs. I want to commend Representative Lipinski for his leadership on this issue, as well as Ranking Member Waxman, Ranking Member Butterfield, whom I've already referenced, and other Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

But I also want to commend those Republican leaders on the Commerce Committee, and Mr. Manzullo, who is sitting here, my dear friend, who heads up the Small Business Committee, is focused on growing jobs in America. I also want to thank Chairman Upton and I have already thanked Chairman Bono Mack, but she is my good friend so I'll thank her again, for their work to make sure this bill came to the floor with bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, the Energy and Commerce Committee reported this bill in June with a bipartisan vote. I am sure it will receive a bipartisan vote tonight.

I will tell you there is no place in America you can go--not the most conservative district, not the most liberal district, not the most Republican district or the most Democratic district. And you could talk about make it in America, and you'll get heads nodding in agreement.

This is not an issue of philosophy. It's a pragmatic issue of growing our economy, creating the kinds of jobs that our people need, jobs that pay well, give them good benefits, and a bright future for them, their families, and their children.

So I commend both the Republican and Democratic side for bringing this piece of legislation to the floor and urge its unanimous adoption by this Congress.

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