Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) president Dennis Slater issued the following statement in support of the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Policy Act introduced today by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Chris Coons (D-Conn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and U.S. Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Tim Ryan (R-Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), and Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). The legislation creates an Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Policy (OMII) in the Executive Office of the President.

“A thriving manufacturing sector is not only essential to our national security but also to continued economic growth and job creation, and the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation will help ensure America’s global leadership in manufacturing,” said Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “The Association of Equipment Manufacturers was the first industry group to call for the creation of a Chief Manufacturing Officer and the development and execution of a national manufacturing strategy, and we commend the group of lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for their leadership in crafting bipartisan legislation that will accomplish both goals. Equipment manufacturers represent one in eight manufacturing jobs in the United States and support 2.8 family-sustaining jobs, and our long-term success depends on the future competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing in the global economy. We urge lawmakers in both parties to support this important legislation and increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness.”

Last spring, equipment manufacturers called on the federal government to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy for manufacturing. In an April 22, 2020 Morning Consult op-ed, Slater wrote, “We hope this can act as a starting point or a broader dialogue about how to ensure the country’s global leadership in manufacturing and guarantee the long-term economic and national security of the United States.”

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AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry supports 2.8 million jobs in the U.S. Equipment manufacturers also contribute $288 billion a year to the U.S. economy.