This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in after the U.S. Senate passed the “Manufacturing.gov Act” without opposition.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced the bill at the end of March with Rubio and U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., co-sponsoring the proposal to “revamp the Manufacturing.gov website, which would serve as a one-stop hub to connect manufacturers with federal manufacturing programs and resources.” The bill “would also require the U.S. Department of Commerce to enable the website to collect feedback from manufacturers, address frequently asked questions, and provide other helpful information” and resulted from a “2017 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the federal government maintains 58 different manufacturing programs across 11 federal agencies, which can make it difficult for manufacturers to identify them.”
“There’s no question we can take steps to boost domestic manufacturing, and I have heard from Michigan manufacturers about how difficult it is for them to navigate what federal resources are available to them,” Peters said. “I’m pleased my commonsense, bipartisan bill to establish a one-stop hub that will connect manufacturers in Michigan and across the country with federal manufacturing programs has passed the Senate. This website will make it easier for manufacturers — the overwhelming number of which are small businesses — to seek out federal resources and support that can help them grow and succeed.”
“The last 18 months have shown how critical it is to bolster our country’s manufacturing base,” Rubio said on Tuesday. “Supply chain interruptions have left American consumers dealing with price hikes and long waits to buy goods at the hardware store, the supermarket, and beyond. Being able to make things in America is a national and economic security imperative, and I urge the House to pass this bill quickly.”
“Earlier this year, Senator Peters and I introduced the Manufacturing.gov Act to establish a single hub for information and questions relating to federal manufacturing programs,” Young said. “I applaud Senate passage of the bill, which moves Manufacturing.gov one step closer to helping over 540,000 Hoosier manufacturing employees.”
With no companion measure in the U.S. House, the bill has been held at the desk of that chamber.
