Equipment Manufacturers Hail Senate Passage of Historic Infrastructure Bill
"The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is not only a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, but an opportunity to restore our economic competitiveness, enhance equipment manufacturers’ ability to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, and improve the lives of all Americans."
AUGUST 10, 2021 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) senior vice president of government and industry relations Kip Eideberg issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Equipment manufacturers commend the U.S. Senate for passing a bold and bipartisan bill that will make a transformational investment in our nation’s infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create nearly 500,000 new manufacturing jobs over the next three years, including more than 100,000 high-skilled, family-sustaining jobs in the equipment manufacturing industry. Investing in our infrastructure will also help us respond to our biggest challenges in ways that improve the quality of life for all Americans, reinforce our global economic standing, and protect our planet.
“We applaud the steadfast leadership and bipartisan work of the Senate negotiators and committees to reach agreement through a collaborative and transparent process. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Rob Portman worked tirelessly to steer the bill through the Senate and overcome a myriad of obstacles, and we are grateful for their dogged focus on bipartisanship. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is not only a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, but an opportunity to restore our economic competitiveness, enhance equipment manufacturers’ ability to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, and improve the lives of all Americans. We urge the House of Representatives to put policy ahead of politics and pass this bill as soon as possible.
“For years, equipment manufacturers have the led the charge for a historic investment in our nation’s core infrastructure needs. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act not only reflects many of our industry’s policy priorities but is also proof that members of both parties can work together for the benefit of all Americans.”
AEM recently released a study that shows new potential infrastructure investments made by Congress over the next several years could create more than 100,000 family-sustaining equipment manufacturing jobs and nearly 500,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs overall.
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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.