SIGN ON LETTER: Strengthen American Supply Chains 

As Congress works to advance manufacturing competitiveness legislation, join the National Association of Manufacturers, the Consumer Brands Association and other manufacturing and business organizations in supporting the Manufacturing Security and Resiliency Program and other critical provisions outlined in the supply chain resiliency subtitle of the House-passed America COMPETES Act.

The pandemic underscored the importance of a strong, robust supply chain. The establishment of a Manufacturing Security and Resilience Program would provide grants, loans and loan guarantees to support manufacturers’ effort to improve and strengthen critical supply chains to ensure the production of critical goods. 

This letter is open to business and industry associations, state and local chambers and allied organizations. The deadline to sign onto this letter is close of business on Friday, May 6th. You will receive a copy of the final letter when it is distributed to Congress.

For more information, contact NAM Senior Director of Tax and Domestic Economic Policy Charles Crain or Consumer Brands Association Vice President of Supply Chain Tom Madrecki.

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SIGN ON LETTER: Strengthen American Supply Chains 

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker U.S. House of Representatives H-232, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515	The Honorable Charles E. Schumer Majority Leader U.S. Senate Room S-221, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Republican Leader U.S. House of Representatives H-204, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515	The Honorable Mitch McConnell Republican Leader U.S. Senate S-230, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510

May X, 2022

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leaders Schumer, McConnell, and McCarthy:

As members of Congress come together to advance bipartisan legislation strengthening supply chains and enhancing U.S. economic competitiveness, the undersigned organizations write to express our strong support for the creation of a Manufacturing Security and Resilience Program and other critical provisions described in the supply chain resilience subtitle of the House-passed America COMPETES Act.

The pandemic laid bare what many of us have known for years: American workers and consumers – and thus the American economy – depend on a robust supply chain bolstered by American manufacturers. The federal government needs dedicated funding to help manufacturers meet these challenges in times of crisis, as well as supply chain expertise and the ability to nimbly coordinate across agencies and policy silos to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, drive manufacturing growth, and ensure the continued availability, accessibility, and affordability of critical products.

The America COMPETES Act contains provisions that would establish a Manufacturing Security and Resilience Program (“Program”) to support businesses working to develop, diversify, preserve, and improve critical supply chains and the manufacturing of critical goods. The Program would be administered within the Department of Commerce (“Department”), which would be responsible for leading a government-wide effort to invest in manufacturing and address supply chain risk. Through grants, loans, and loan guarantees, the Program would support the development of new technologies, growth in the U.S. manufacturing base, re-tooling of industrial equipment, and production of critical goods. We believe that such a Program will play an essential role in strengthening supply chains crucial for consumers and ensuring Americans’ quality of life and economic prosperity for decades to come.

Additionally, the America COMPETES Act empowers the Department to conduct comprehensive supply chain mapping and monitoring, provide $45 billion of financial assistance to strengthen supply chains and manufacturing, and equip the private sector with the tools and best practices needed to address supply chain weaknesses before they become full blown crises. Critically, the subtitle outlines a clarified vision for the Department on its implementation of the Program, benefiting from the lessons learned from the supply chain disruptions experienced in the timeframe since Senate passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (“USICA”).

As you discuss the path forward for provisions subject to the conference process in both chambers, we encourage you to support enactment of this Program and the other critical measures in the supply chain resilience subtitle. Adopting these provisions of the House-passed COMPETES Act as part of bipartisan legislation to support American competitiveness will empower unprecedented expertise at the Department and the ability to invest in sectors critical to the health, economic well-being, and security of our country.

Sincerely,

LETTER SIGNATURES

cc:

The Honorable Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Ranking Member, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Honorable Roger Wicker, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation