Speaking to an assembly of business leaders during the Minnesota Manufacturing Summit on October 25, National Association of Manufacturers president and former three-term Michigan Governor John Engler urged continued action on legislation that will boost the national economy and promote competitiveness.
“While there is always a focus on the number of jobs in manufacturing, it’s my belief there isn’t enough focus of the impact of manufacturing on the U.S. economy,” Engler said.
Noting that the revenue of the U.S. manufacturing sector alone would be the eighth-largest economy in the world, Engler stressed that manufacturing is “vital to our economy, and as a nation we should do everything possible to build a foundation for America to remain a strong manufacturing power.”
During the summit in Minneapolis, Engler briefed the audience on the NAM’s agenda to increase domestic energy development, develop a 21st-century workforce, level the international playing field, and to promote research and development.
“These issues should be priorities in the current elections, and as election day nears, I’d hope every candidate would want to talk about manufacturing,” Engler continued. “At the NAM, we think the right focus is a focus on manufacturing – and we believe it’s important that that focus is backed up with actual votes. Yet, no matter how the elections wind up, the challenges facing manufacturers will remain, and they are serious. It’s time for Washington to join America’s team and work together with us to beat the competition and help us win the global race for innovation, talent, investment and jobs.”
Recently, the NAM announced recipients of its Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence, which honors lawmakers whose voting records have consistently supported manufacturing in America. The NAM Award is given to members of Congress who have earned a 70 percent or higher rating on Key Manufacturing Votes, as determined by a member-led advisory committee made up of both small and large manufacturers. Voting records for all members of Congress are available at www.nam.org/votingrecord along with further details about the Key Manufacturing Votes.
The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation’s largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Visit www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.