Senate Unanimously Passes Senator Peters’ Bipartisan Legislation to Maximize Federal Support for American Manufacturers and Workers

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ (MI) bipartisan legislation to help strengthen federal efforts to boost domestic manufacturing and support American workers.

Peters’ Strengthening Support for American Manufacturing Act – which he introduced with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) – would authorize a study by the National Academy of Public Administration on how to maximize effectiveness across the U.S. Department of Commerce’s various manufacturing programs. The bill would also then require recommendations to Congress on ways to improve coordination among the programs to better serve manufacturers – many of which are small businesses.

“In recent years, I’ve worked with my colleagues to make historic investments in American manufacturing that will position us to outcompete countries like China,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “Now, we must make sure that we’re effectively supporting these businesses, particularly small and medium-sized manufacturers, and doing so at the national level. My bipartisan bill is an important step toward making sure our federal manufacturing programs have the resources and coordination they need to support American manufacturers, drive economic growth, and create more good-paying American jobs.”

“We work with small and mid-size manufacturers every day,” said Ingrid Tighe, President of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. “And the message is clear: they are proud of what they do, they are vital to strengthening Michigan’s economy, and they need to stay competitive in a global economy. Increasing opportunities for manufacturers to access state and federal resources focused on reshoring and upskilling the manufacturing workforce, is critical to their continued success. This bill will further support manufacturers and American workers alike.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in 2017 identifying 58 programs across 11 different federal agencies that serve U.S. manufacturing, several of which are housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The vast number of programs may complicate their administration and presents a barrier to manufacturers knowing about and accessing valuable resources. The Strengthening Support for American Manufacturing Act would address these issues by identifying ways to improve the Commerce Department’s management of these programs, and putting forth legislative recommendations to create a single agency responsible for administering them. 

Peters has made strengthening domestic manufacturing and supply chains a top priority. Peters helped author and pass into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which includes a provision Peters secured with Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) to support the domestic production of mature semiconductor technologies and ensure that projects supporting critical manufacturing industries are given priority status, which would include the automotive sector. This is in addition to $50 billion already in the bill to incentivize the production of semiconductors of all kinds in the U.S. – for a total of $52 billion. The CHIPS and Science Act also included Peters’ bipartisan Investing in Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing Act, which will ensure federal incentives to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing include U.S. suppliers that produce the materials and manufacturing equipment that enable semiconductor manufacturing – bolstering semiconductors supply chains and Michigan manufacturers.

The CHIPS and Science Act additionally authorized increased funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, which has been a priority for Peters. Last year, Peters announced the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, Michigan’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, was awarded $400,000 in federal funding made possible by the CHIPS and Science Act to help manufacturers in Michigan improve the strength of their supply chains. Peters additionally supported and helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which will strengthen domestic manufacturing, onshore our supply chains, combat the climate crisis and create millions of American jobs.

Last year, the Senate also unanimously passed Peters’ bipartisan legislation to strengthen federal efforts to expand domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips. Peters’ Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would direct the U.S. Department of Commerce’s SelectUSA program, in collaboration with other federal agencies and state economic development organizations, to develop strategies that would attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains.

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