Sec. 2. Findings; sense of Congress
343 words·~2 min read·
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The Congress finds the following: The manufacturing sector consists of establishments that are primarily engaged in the transformation of materials, substances, or components into products. The Federal Government supports manufacturing in a variety of ways; manufacturing related activities are scattered in several agencies in the executive branch. Manufacturing employment, output and exports are impacted by tax policies, state of infrastructure and transportation, small business regulations, environmental regulations, trade policies, innovation ecosystems, workforce development, and education initiatives, with national security implications.
Manufacturers account for 12 percent of the total gross domestic product output in the United States, employing 9 percent of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was more than 2 trillion dollars in 2014. In addition, there were more than 12 million manufacturing employees in the United States in 2015, with an average annual compensation of about $80,000. Legislative policies and executive actions often result in unintended, inconsistent, and conflicting outcomes with respect to the growth of manufacturing in the United States.
It is the sense of Congress that a well-designed national manufacturing strategy would benefit the United States economy in several important ways: A revitalized manufacturing sector enables the United States to derive more of its economic growth from exports and domestic production than it has in the past two decades. Average domestic wages would rise in response to growing manufacturing output, as manufacturing jobs historically have paid higher wages and benefits than nonmanufacturing jobs.
A growing manufacturing sector would help lay a foundation for future United States economic growth, since manufacturing industries perform the vast share of private-sector research and development, which fuels the innovation that serves as a primary engine of economic growth. The United States would expand its long-standing leadership in advanced manufacturing technologies with Federal investments in manufacturing research and development, education, and workforce training. There has always been a strong connection between domestic manufacturing and national defense and homeland security.
A strong and innovative manufacturing industry will maintain the United States military superiority and will allow for an unquestionable ability to respond quickly to threats and catastrophes.