.
@SenWarren
: βWe can and we must do better for our workers. It is the right thing to do. It is the competitive thing to do. And it is the only way to build a strong future for our nation and our people.β
Senate Minority Leader
@SenSchumer
plans to block two of President Trump's trade nominees in response to the delay of the "Section 232" steel & aluminum imports investigations.
Here's Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Transportation Secretary, talking about the many, many reasons to finally invest in our infrastructure.
πππ
"More than 40 employees volunteered to spend 28 days at the Braskem America plant in Marcus Hook, near Philadelphia, to make polypropylene -- a raw material needed to make N95 masks, medical gowns and other protective gear."
We've said it before and we will say it again: Allowing artificially cheap Chinese autos into the U.S. market will result in an extinction level event for the U.S. auto industry.
Former Rep.
@TimRyan
Β writes that "industries in the U.S. are booming, driving innovation, and bringing jobs back to local communities. And itβs happening because of strong pro-American policies and investments designed to boost our industrial might."
New opinion from
@SecretaryPete
: "We must act swiftly to ensure that transportation goes from being the largest contributor of greenhouse gases to the largest source of solutions to climate change, creating jobs as we go."
Another astonishing clip from the Cato Institute event today, this one from the influential Adam Posen, head of the Peterson Institute. He says a focus on domestic manufacturing is simply a βfetish for keeping white males with low education in the powerful positions they are in.β
On March 6, GE-Savant officially moved production of the LED bulbs it makes for Walmart from Ohio to China. But folks in the Buckeye State (including
@SenSherrodBrown
) are continuing to fight for the jobs lost by the decision.
We are so very thrilled that our
@ScottPaulAAM
had the chance to chat with Ben Napier (
@scotsmanco
) of HGTV's Home Town about his new factory in Laurel, Mississippi. Listen below!
From earlier today: Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden's pick for Transportation Secretary, pushes for big infrastructure investment (and affirms his support for
#BuyAmerica
).
Transportation
@SecretaryPete
Buttigieg said Monday that βwe view this moment we are living in as a once in a lifetime opportunity because of the public interest and bipartisan appetite to get something done.β
#LeadwithInfrastructure
TEMU EXPLOITS THE DE MINIMIS LOOPHOLE TO SEND LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PACKAGES TO THE U.S. EVERY DAY WITHOUT PAYING A SINGLE TARIFF AND ITS POOR QUALITY PRODUCTS ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY MADE WITH FORCED LABOR AND SOME PRODUCTS MAY EVEN CONTAIN HARMFUL SUBSTANCES LIKE LEAD
DHS is set to warn U.S. businesses of the risks of using data centers owned or operated by Chinese companies or foreign data centers built with Chinese equipment and joint ventures w/ Chinese firms, software & mobile apps, & even fitness trackers.
American companies that continue to rely on factories in Xinjiang are complicit in the CCP's cultural genocide of the Uyghurs. But these brands also should reckon with the fact that sponsoring the upcoming Beijing games is... also problematic.
Transportation
@SecretaryPete
Buttigieg announced $2.2 billion in funding last week for local infrastructure projects like bridges, roads, bike lanes, railways and ports. These projects will help create good jobs across the country.
We think that new legislation from
@SenatorBaldwin
&
@SenRickScott
to require online retailers to post the country of origin of their products is a COOL idea.
As
@ScottPaulAAM
put it: "Any company doing business in Xinjiang is complicit in the cultural genocide taking place there. But Tesla's actions are especially despicable."
Vice President
@VP
@KamalaHarris
wears a Prabal Gurung Hand Tailored Double Crepe Cream Suit And Ivory Silk Charmeuse Camisole,to the Joint Session Congress at the U.S. Capitol. Made in New York City, at the Prabal Gurung Atelier, and designed for powerful moments in history.
Right now,
#BuyAmerica
applies when the U.S. buys solar panels. But it doesn't apply when the U.S. purchases solar power through a third-party vendor.
@RepTimRyan
Β is out to change that.
.
@joshrogin
nails it: "There is a legitimate concern that supply chains for everything from solar panels to sneakers could be affected by the bill. But our dependency on products from an area where genocide is occurring is the root of the problem."
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing legislation that would allow New York towns or counties to apply for status as an official "manufacturing community."
A must read: How the failed U.S. effort to dominate global production of the lithium ion battery holds lessons for leaders grappling with the U.S.βs reliance on China for emergency medical supplies.
Democratic presidential candidate
@TimRyan
writes that "it's time for Democrats to take a stand and play offense when it comes to the rights and well-being of working-class Americans."
Ryan is set to be on the
#DemDebate
stage tonight.
ICYMI: A coalition of apparel and textile makers are coming together to make much-needed facemasks. Production is slated to start today, with the first masks heading out the door by mid-week.
Around 1 million people are held in Xinjiang in "internment camps as part of the governmentβs assimilation campaign, which... includes mass surveillance, forced labor and stringent birth controls."
Tesla's response: Sounds like a good place to sell cars!
"The bill, sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, and Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, is the latest in a string of U.S. legislation seeking to thwart China's near control over the sector."
Transportation
@SecretaryPete
Buttigieg says he sees infrastructure investment legislation as "a jobs bill."
"Weβre going to do a major investment in American economic competitiveness."
We don't normally post about
#BTS
on this account, but we know of a handful of American companies (and officials) who could learn a thing or two from the K-pop group when it comes to dealing with China's regime.
Check out this piece from
@americangiant
CEO
@BayardWinthrop
on some of the lessons of
#COVID19
.
"Our entire economy is dependent upon goods made elsewhere, particularly China. ... When we donβt make things ourselves, we lose control."
#coronavirus
Good read from
@ddayen
: "With its thin margins and consolidated structure, the globalization of production magnifies disruptions of any type. This is why getting what you desire when you desire it is no longer a certain bet."
President Biden is set to sign an executive order to encourage U.S. inventions to also be made in the USA. It builds off of the "Invent Here, Make Here Act" intro'd by
@SenatorBaldwin
&
@JDVance1
. Congress should pass that bill!
More thoughts from
@ScottPaulAAM
β¬οΈ
China's shipbuilding capacity is 232 times greater than the United States.
Now the
@steelworkers
& other unions are fighting back. They just filed a petition calling for an investigation into China's predatory trade practices on shipbuilding. Learn more:
ICYMI:
@SecretaryPete
& other Biden administration officials visited a Cleveland-Cliffs steel facility in Ohio to talk about new actions that aim to further
#BuyClean
.
.
@SecretaryPete
Β is right to worry about "the true ownership of the different enterprises that are supplying different elements of our transportation systems." We know firms like rail car maker CRRC have direct ties to the CCP & Chinese military.
"We recognize that our show is about revitalizing small-town America, Laurel, and without small-town industry, mainly American manufacturing, you don't have small-town America.β β
@scotsmanco
, costar of
#HGTVHomeTown
.
@RepRoKhanna
gets it.
"In hindsight, America made a colossal mistake by offshoring so many of our jobs and our manufacturing capability. We need a production renaissance to become a manufacturing superpower."
Right now,
#BuyAmerican
only applies when the federal government buys solar panels, not when it sources power from third party providers.
@RepTimRyan
wants to change that to ensure the "solar panels powering the federal government are made in America."
All of us at the Alliance for American Manufacturing are devastated to learn of USW International President Tom Conway's passing. Tom was a visionary who helped launch AAM & had an enduring influence on our work ever since. American workers had no better champion than Tom Conway.
Wisconsin
@SenatorBaldwin
writes that she wants "to rebuild our infrastructure with strong 'buy America' standards that ensure we use American-made products and support Wisconsin workers and manufacturers."
When China cut off its exports of PPE like face masks in 2020, U.S. manufacturers built factories from scratch. Now these American makers are under threat by artificially cheap imports, and the U.S. is making it easier for imports to come in.
The maker of popular Fireball Whiskey is stepping up to help in the coronavirus fight.
"We have received requests to date for over five million bottles of sanitizer, which we are prepared to meet, and possibly more, across our sites in North America."
Industrial policy works.
@RepColinAllred
said the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act was instrumental in bringing a new solar factory to North Texas.
"The Inflation Reduction Act was designed to incentivize projects just like this," Allred said.
"I am outraged that more than 9,000 Ohioans in my district alone are out of a job... Chinaβs economic policies are predatory, and Americans are getting a raw deal. This administration should go back to the mat,"
@RepTimRyan
says.
CAN'T MISS: Creating
#manufacturing
jobs doesnβt just benefit manufacturing. Every created manufacturing job generates 7.4 new jobs in other industries. Another reason why strong manufacturing leads to a strong economy. Via
@EconomicPolicy
If clothing brands are going to benefit from the patriotism of the Olympic games, they also should do their part to support American textile workers and companies, too.
βWe'll make the medical supplies and protective equipment our country needs. And we'll make them here in America, so we will never again be at the mercy of China,"
@JoeBiden
said on Thursday night.
2020 Democratic presidential candidate
@TimRyan
is out with a six-point plan for manufacturing, which includes a new National Manufacturing Office and a National Infrastructure Development Bank.
An inside look at how Michigan apparel maker
@StormyKromer
, most famous for its trademark cap, was able to quickly switch to making masks and gowns for local hospitals and other facilities to help in the
#coronavirus
fight.
.
@ProPublica
nails it: Cities like Dayton aren't home to only "woebegone Trump voters." Our "Unmade in America" report found wide segments of the population were hurt by deindustrialization, especially African-American workers.
THREAD: Today we are unveiling a new, four-year American Manufacturing Plan that
@EconomicPolicy
researchers find would create at least 6.9 million new jobs, and perhaps as many as 12.9 million jobs. 1/5
Alliance for American Manufacturing President
@ScottPaulAAM
says raising tariffs on Chinese imports is "absolutely the right thing to do for America's future." His full statement is below.
The House passed legislation last week that
@RepSlotkin
says will "reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers, improve our ability to protect our frontline workers, and help make more critical medical supplies here."
In Iowa,
@JohnDeere
factory workers are now making face shields for health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has ordered supplies to make hundreds of thousands of shields, it says.
The coronavirus crisis shows just how vital it is for the United States to bring back critical manufacturing. Here's how we do it.
Watch the full video here:
BREAKING: The Federal Highway Administration just announced it is proposing an end to its 40-year blanket waiver of Buy America requirements for manufactured products. This is a *massive breakthrough* for Buy America. Here's
@ScottPaulAAM
:
.
@steelworkers
President Leo Gerard: "There's been no action that has done anything to protect and defend American jobs. ... In some cases we're worse off now than we were then."
Just incredible. Millions of dollars in PPP money, meant to save America's small businesses in a time of economic crisis, instead went to China.
@AdvisoryHorizon
found AT LEAST 32 Chinese companies received PPP loans of MORE THAN $1 million.
Someone once hung a noose in front of Kameen Thompson's office door. Another time, someone wrote his name on the wall alongside a racial slur.
But the
@steelworkers
local president kept fighting, not just for himself but his union members.
NEW VIDEO: Here are 5 reasons why the Biden administration must keep Section 232 trade action in place.
#StandUpforSteel
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO:
TAKE ACTION:
.
@joshrogin
nails it: "If Biden surrenders on fighting Chinaβs unfair economic practices now, that sends exactly the wrong message to the region at exactly the wrong time."