Competing to Win
A detailed roadmap for candidates and elected officials
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CLICK HEREManufacturing in the United States and our country are at an inflection point. Will we build on historic reforms to make manufacturing stronger? Or, we will be roll back our progress in making more in the United States. From supply chain disruptions and crippling federal regulations to inflationary pressures and threatening tax proposals – the NAM is working hand in hand with manufacturers to engage officials, candidates and more Americans to take action on an agenda that’s going to address our most pressing issues, expand opportunity for the workforce and make our country’s competitiveness more resilient than ever.
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The 2023 NAM State of Manufacturing Address officially kicked off the 2023 leg of the NAM’s Competing to Win Tour. Starting in Wisconsin, the U.S. tour continues to spotlight the industry’s advances, while also focusing on manufacturing’s well-paying careers, diverse career paths and real-world solutions for the industry’s growth and competitiveness.
In March, the Competing to Win tour traveled across the Atlantic, stopping in 12 European cities with 36 events and meetings over 11 days, shoring up strategic alliances critical for manufacturers in the U.S., solidifying support for Ukraine and working to bolster the power of commerce—on both sides of the Atlantic—to preserve, protect and expand democracy.
The Agenda
Manufacturing in the United States unites people of all stripes, and our agenda can unify the country around a shared purpose to lift up more people and make our country stronger. The critical components of “Competing to Win” serve as a strategic blueprint for the policies manufacturers in the United States need to create more jobs, make more products in the United States and build a more resilient, secure and prosperous America.
Tax
Building On The Promise Of Tax Reform
Manufacturers asked, and Congress delivered with the passage of tax reform. As a result, manufacturers have been paying forward the benefits. With a commitment to federal policies that build on those advances rather than roll them back, the industry will continue leading our workers, communities and country toward prosperity.
Trade
Supporting Manufacturing Jobs and Growth; Removing Uncertainty and Unfair Barriers
Manufacturers of all sizes compete in a global economy, selling to U.S. customers and to the billions of consumers around the world. Pursuing policies that improve manufacturers’ competitiveness and ability to reach new customers abroad will allow manufacturers in the United States to compete—and win—in the global market.
Environment and Sustainability
Creating Cleaner, Safer and More Inclusive Economies
Everyone wants clean water and clean air. Everyone wants a good job and a strong economy. With federal policies that balance these goals, manufacturers can continue leading the way the world addresses climate change and other environmental issues.
Energy and Natural Resources
Strengthening Manufacturing by Capitalizing on U.S. Energy Leadership
Manufacturers utilize and benefit from all forms of energy, while making smart investments to become more energy efficient and protect the environment. The future of the manufacturing industry and our country’s resource security rely on clarity and certainty from policymakers that strengthens our competitiveness.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Catching Up and Building for Tomorrow
The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law represents historic investment. For too long, the structures that support the movement of free enterprise and families have been frail and failing. As we work to ensure the law is implemented successfully, we also have to ensure that we take all necessary actions to keep supply chains running. As national and international supply chain disruptions have made painfully clear, maintaining and modernizing our infrastructure is essential to keeping products moving and manufacturers operating.
Workforce and Education
Equipping the Workforce for Rewarding Careers
One of the key competitiveness challenges facing manufacturers is access to a skilled workforce. Workforce policy should prioritize employer leadership and participation in postsecondary education and training programs. And it should enable more individuals to develop the skills needed to begin or advance in their career.
Labor and Employment
Adapting Policies for a 21st-Century Workforce
It’s time to modernize labor and employment laws and regulations to fit the needs of today’s manufacturing workforce. The manufacturing shop floor has changed. Meanwhile, manufacturers in the United States face government-imposed challenges that are not faced equally by many of our global competitors.
Immigration
Reforming the Immigration System for American Competitiveness
America is a nation of immigrants—and a nation with a broken immigration system. If we continue with current immigration practices, we will lose talent, opportunity and economic growth. Manufacturers believe that now is the time to enact immigration reforms that balance compassion and security to create a stronger country and a stronger economy.
Read Our Letter to Sec. Mayorkas Download this section
Health Care
Keeping Americans Healthy and Productive; Unleashing Innovation
Manufacturers of all sizes cite rising health care expenses as one of their top business concerns, and they need certainty to negotiate affordable, best-in-class health plans. Policymakers should allow free enterprise principles to guide health care policy decisions to encourage and protect the health care cures and solutions of tomorrow.
Corporate Governance
Supporting Capital Formation and Protecting Investors
Manufacturers depend on public markets to finance business growth, job creation and economic expansion, and workers rely on the success of publicly traded companies for their savings and retirement. As such, policymakers should rein in unregulated third parties, enable manufacturers to engage effectively with their shareholders and protect middle-class investors.
Research, Innovation and Technology
Powering Manufacturing 4.0
Manufacturers have created an innovation engine that has reshaped the world around us. As modern manufacturing in the U.S. races toward the new economic era and pursues technologies to lead new operational advances, federal policies must keep up with the industry’s needs, prioritizing both investment and innovation.
Regulatory and Legal Reform
Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth
Smart regulation is critical to protecting worker safety, public health and our environment. Overregulation will hold back our country’s economic potential and undermine manufacturers’ competitiveness. Reforming the nation’s broken legal and regulatory systems, ensuring regulations achieve their intended goal without unnecessarily harming competitiveness, will help fully unleash our economic engine.
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Action Toolkits
Your voice is the industry’s most powerful tool. And more than ever, we are the one-stop shop for manufacturers to use their voice to directly engage decision-makers and change-makers in Washington and elevate our industry in the national media. Through our issue-based toolkits, manufacturers from across the country are using their voices to drive forward immediate solutions for bolstering manufacturers’ competitiveness.
We encourage you to help expand the industry’s voice by taking full advantage of our toolkits below. Dive into manufacturers’ stories, engage key lawmakers, share your own story and help broaden awareness that manufacturers are competing to win.
Infrastructure & Supply Chain
The NAM remains hyper focused on helping policymakers resolve supply chain disruptions by maximizing massive investments secured in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act. In our new Building to Win toolkit, you will find key policy updates, NAM reports and action plans, operational resources for company leaders, actionable engagement opportunities and stories of manufacturers impacted by these issues.
Regulatory & Legal Reform
Protecting Manufacturing’s Resurgence
Manufacturers are increasingly challenged by a rising tide of complex and often unbalanced federal regulations. They impact every aspect of our operations—from production and employment to new discoveries and expansion. The NAM is pushing back against the growing regulatory burden that threatens to undermine manufacturers’ competitiveness and our economy.
The Threat of EPA’s Proposed Regulations
The NAM is rallying manufacturers to urge EPA to reconsider its proposed stricter air regulations that would not only hurt existing manufacturing facilities but could also jeopardize both American manufacturing competitiveness and current and future investments in innovation, including new clean energy manufacturing, that are critical to addressing climate change. In this toolkit you will find actionable engagement opportunities and stories of manufacturers impacted by this issue.
Protect Noncompete Agreements
The NAM is working with manufacturers to oppose and mitigate the impacts of the FTC’s proposed ban on all noncompete agreements. We are currently requesting that the current proposal be withdrawn until the FTC can propose a more tailored approach that allows for sensible exemptions. In this toolkit you will find actionable engagement opportunities and stories of manufacturers impacted by this issue.
Tax
Protect R&D
The NAM is rallying manufacturers to urge Congress to to support two bipartisan R&D bills that have been introduced in the House and Senate: the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act (H.R. 2673) and the American Innovation and Jobs Act (S. 866). In this toolkit you will find actionable engagement opportunities and stories of manufacturers impacted by this issue.
Interest Deductibility
With nearly half a million American jobs at stake, the NAM is rallying manufacturers to urge Congress to support key legislation that has been newly introduced in the House and Senate: the American Investment in Manufacturing (AIM) Act (H.R. 2788/S. 1232), which would reverse the stricter limitation and allow manufacturers to continue to invest for growth. In this toolkit you will find actionable engagement opportunities and stories of manufacturers impacted by this issue.
Full Expensing
The NAM is calling for Congress to make permanent 100% accelerated depreciation to ensure that the tax code encourages manufacturing competitiveness. In this toolkit you will find actionable engagement opportunities and stories of manufacturers impacted by this issue.
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Become an NAM Ambassador
Leadership in Manufacturing Advocacy
The NAM Ambassador Network is comprised of a select group of small and medium sized manufacturers who represent a leading voice on priority issues facing the industry. NAM Ambassadors use their voices to drive key competitiveness issues across the finish line and shape the future of our industry. From telling their story to hosting a member of Congress, NAM Ambassadors are proven change makers at the core of our Competing to Win campaign.
