VP Mike Pence Joins Manufacturers at NAM Winter Board Meeting
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Vice President Mike Pence celebrated manufacturers' achievements and praised the NAM's Creators Wanted campaign.
Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump was awarded the inaugural Alexander Hamilton Award.
Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen spoke with NAM SVP of Communications and Brand Strategy Erin Streeter about the state of media in the U.S.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan shared details about the infrastructure investment he is leading as the National Governors Association chairman.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito spoke about trade and manufacturing in West Virginia.
Sen. Mark Warner addressed the NAM Board of Directors to provide a view from Capitol Hill.
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford talked about the new geopolitical landscape in America.
Vice President Mike Pence addressed the National Association of Manufacturers’ Board of Directors Meeting on Friday. In a speech livestreamed to manufacturers across the country, he paid tribute to the NAM’s 125-year history, celebrated manufacturers’ accomplishments and praised the NAM’s historic Creators Wanted campaign, which was publicly unveiled earlier in the week—asserting that “President Trump will continue to back the efforts just like that one to create job training and vocational education and make it more accessible than ever before.” His appearance capped a three-day event attended by government officials and manufacturing leaders from across the nation.
Thanks for celebrating our 125th anniversary with us, @Mike_Pence! https://t.co/x44fwnQhQQ
— The NAM (@ShopFloorNAM) February 14, 2020
“I’m really here just to pay a debt of gratitude,” Vice President Pence told the manufacturing leaders gathered. “You’ve been investing in your companies and investing in working Americans… You’ve really revived the confidence of the American people and opened doors of opportunity.”
The vice president touted the impact of United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, which was developed and signed into law with the vocal support of small and large manufacturers. The agreement helped secure the 2 million American manufacturing jobs that depend on exports to Canada and Mexico, the biggest markets for U.S. exports in the world.
“We have a deal in the USMCA that is an unambiguous win for American workers, American manufacturing and American agriculture,” said Vice President Pence. “And we are grateful to each and every one of you for helping to bring it about.”
Vice President Pence also shined a light on several manufacturing companies that are keeping their promises to make bold investments following tax reform and regulatory certainty, including HM Manufacturing, which invested $500,000 in new equipment, hired 20% more workers and raised wages by 25%; BWX Technologies, which created 170 new jobs at three new facilities in Ohio and Indiana; and Nephron Pharmaceuticals, which gave employees a 5% raise.
“All of you in this association and the companies large and small that are represented here, for 125 years have improved the lives of the American people,” said Vice President Pence. “I’m standing in front of some of the most generous and conscientious corporate citizens in America. Your companies get behind literally every worthy cause in every big city and small town in America. So why don’t you give yourselves a round of applause for what you and your employees do to improve the lives of the American people every day. We’re truly grateful.”
Earlier in the week, the NAM awarded its inaugural Alexander Hamilton Award to Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump for her leadership on job training and workforce development.
Thanks for joining us, @IvankaTrump! You’ve shown unwavering commitment to manufacturing like no one else in government has ever done. @ShopfloorNAM is proud to have signed #PledgetoAmericasWorkers. https://t.co/rumIPeA5Am
— Jay Timmons (@JayTimmonsNAM) February 14, 2020
In addition to the Vice President and Ivanka Trump, board meeting attendees heard from Axios’ Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei and political leaders including Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford.
Today I addressed the @ShopFloorNAM Winter 2020 Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, DC, where I highlighted Maryland’s amazing economic resurgence and the national infrastructure initiative I’m leading as @NatlGovsAssoc chairman. pic.twitter.com/KzwiSh5I68
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) February 13, 2020
Enjoyed speaking with @ShopFloorNAM this evening about manufacturing and trade in West Virginia. Looking forward to the benefits of #USMCA and the Phase One China deal on our state’s economy. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/HhZRjHj8v1
— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) February 13, 2020
Want to shape the future of manufacturing? Get involved in our Creators Wanted campaign.
Related
Manufacturers Unveil Competitiveness Agenda Ahead of Midterm Elections
“Competing to Win” offers a path for bringing the country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose
Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the midterm elections, the National Association of Manufacturers released its policy roadmap, “Competing to Win,” a comprehensive blueprint featuring immediate solutions for bolstering manufacturers’ competitiveness. It is also a roadmap for policymakers on the laws and regulations needed to strengthen the manufacturing industry in the months and years ahead.
With the country facing rising prices, snarled supply chains and geopolitical turmoil, manufacturers are outlining an actionable competitiveness agenda that Americans across the political spectrum can support. “Competing to Win” includes the policies manufacturers in America will need in place to continue driving the country forward.
“‘Competing to Win’ offers a path for bringing our country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The NAM is putting forward a plan filled with ideas that policymakers could pursue immediately, including solutions to urgent problems, such as energy security, immigration reform, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing workforce shortage and more. Manufacturers have shown incredible resilience through difficult times, employing more workers now than before the pandemic, but continued resilience is not guaranteed without the policies that are critical to the state of manufacturing in America.”
The NAM and its members will leverage “Competing to Win” to shape policy debates ahead of the midterm elections, in the remainder of the 117th Congress and at the start of the 118th Congress—including in direct engagement with lawmakers, for grassroots activity, across traditional and digital media and through events in key states and districts as we did following the initial rollout of the roadmap in 2016.
The document focuses on 12 areas of action, and all policies are rooted in the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.
Learn more about how manufacturers are leading and about the industry’s competitiveness agenda at nam.org/competing-to-win.
-NAM-
The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.77 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org
