Making It In America

Democrats’ Unfulfilled Rhetoric: ‘Reinvigorate Our Manufacturing Sector And Create Jobs’

FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.” (Pres. Obama, Remarks by the President in the State of the Union Address, 2/12/2013)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): “We have introduced—you have been here with our Whip, Steny Hoyer, with a Make It in America agenda. It is an agenda about stopping the erosion of our industrial manufacturing and technological base.” (Rep. Pelosi, Press Conference, 6/16/2011)

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD): “[W]e’re here today to discuss our new Make It in America priorities for 2013, which … reflect what manufacturers, labor leaders and entrepreneurs believe are the most important steps Congress can take to reinvigorate our manufacturing sector and create jobs for our middle class.” (Rep. Hoyer, Press Conference, 4/10/2013)

COMPARE THE RESULTS

SEN. McCONNELL: “Republican policies have helped generate the very outcomes that Democrats claimed they wanted. American manufacturing is thriving on our watch…. [M]anufacturing growth is vital for American prosperity. And unlike our friends across the aisle, we have the ideas and the policies that help make that goal into reality.” (Sen. McConnell, Remarks, 7/24/2018)

Manufacturers’ Views On The Business Climate Significantly More Favorable

Fourth Quarter, 2013: “While health care was the top concern for manufacturers in the fourth quarter, the second most pressing challenge was an unfavorable business climate (cited by 76.1% of respondents). Many sample comments from respondents, both this quarter and in previous iterations, have mentioned the need for pro-growth policies …” (“NAM/IndustryWeek 2013 Q2 Survey: Outlook Positive in the Face of Mediocre Growth,” IndustryWeek, 6/06/2013)

Second Quarter, 2018: “Primary Current Business Challenges, Second Quarter 2018 … Unfavorable business climate (e.g. taxes, regulations) 19.1%” (“NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, Second Quarter 2018,” National Association of Manufacturers, 6/20/2018)

‘Manufacturers Are More Optimistic Than Any Time In Modern History,’ ‘U.S. Manufacturing Activity Surged’

“National Association of Manufacturers chief economist Chad Moutray agreed … ‘Manufacturers are more optimistic than any time in modern history,’ Moutray said to The Washington Post. ‘Pro-growth tax and regulatory reform has given manufacturers the confidence to hire more workers, raise wages and increase investments.’” (“Products Made In America Will Make America Great Again, Trump Claims,” The Washington Post, 7/23/2018)

• “In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), it is clear that businesses continue to experience highly elevated levels of activity as a result of pro-growth policies like tax reform, with optimism once again breaking records—95.1 percent of respondents were either somewhat or very positive about their own company’s outlook, the highest rate since the 20-year-old survey was introduced in the fourth quarter of 1997.” (“NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, Second Quarter 2018,” National Association of Manufacturers, 6/20/2018)

“U.S. manufacturing activity surged in June … The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity jumped to a reading of 60.2 last month from 58.7 in May. A reading above 50 in the ISM index indicates an expansion in manufacturing …” (Reuters, 7/02/2018)

• “New orders for U.S.-made goods unexpectedly rose in May, pointing to a strengthening manufacturing sector … Manufacturing, which accounts for about 12 percent of the U.S. economy, is being boosted by strong domestic and global demand …” (Reuters, 7/03/2018)

Manufacturers Are Expanding, Hiring, And Reinvesting

“Following the regulatory changes, CEOs throughout the country, including at Lockheed Martin, Alabama's Sabel Steel and North Carolina's Atlantic Packaging, planned to reinvest savings, expand facilities and increase employee salaries, according to NAM's Tax Reform Survey.” (“Products Made In America Will Make America Great Again, Trump Claims,” The Washington Post, 7/23/2018)

KENTUCKY: “At Friday’s ceremonial start of construction on the $1.5 billion, 600-job Braidy Industries aluminum rolling mill near Ashland, Gov. Matt Bevin joined elected officials and business leaders in hailing the project as the economic comeback of Eastern Kentucky … The 1.8 million-s.f. facility will rise from more than 240 acres in the EastPark industrial center near Ashland. As scheduled to open in 2020, the mill’s production capacity could reach 300,000 tons of aluminum alloy sheet and plate a year, mainly for the automotive industry. Opportunities for future production expansion exist, as well as plans to supply the aerospace and defense industries. Employees at the new facility will earn an average salary of about $70,000 a year.” (“Construction Starts For Braidy Industries Signaling Economic Boom For Northeast Kentucky,” The Lane Report, 6/01/2018)

• GOV. MATT BEVIN (R-KY): “This is one of the most substantial investments ever made in our state, and the additional opportunities unleashed by the arrival of Braidy Industries have extraordinary potential. The initial 1,000 construction jobs, followed by 600 high-paying, permanent jobs, together with the overall, morale-boosting impact this company will have on the entire region, will transform the economic landscape of Eastern Kentucky for generations to come.” (“Construction Starts For Braidy Industries Signaling Economic Boom For Northeast Kentucky,” The Lane Report, 6/01/2018)

KENTUCKY: “A new manufacturing plant will soon bring 120 new jobs to Murray, Kentucky. Monday, South Korean auto parts manufacturer DAE-IL broke ground on its new manufacturing plant in Murray. It will be the company’s first plant in the United States. ‘Murray is a good location for foreign companies that are looking to put their first location in the U.S.,’ Murray Economic Development President Mark Manning says. Manning says, along with good-paying jobs, the DAE-IL plant will give Murray the chance to grow. ‘There are lots of underemployed people that are looking for a way to better themselves,’ Manning says.” (“New Manufacturing Plant To Bring 120 New Jobs To Murray,” WPSD, 7/23/2018)

MARYLAND: “Employees at Jamison Door Company in Hagerstown, Maryland, are feeling the benefits of tax reform in a major way—receiving two special cash bonuses, thanks to increased competitiveness under the tax law…. Jamison Door is also taking advantage of tax reform and using its tax savings to reinvest in its business. That means growing its facilities, investing in new technology and creating skilled jobs in the Hagerstown plant. Over the next year, Jamison is adding more than 50,000 square feet in new manufacturing space.” (“KEEPING OUR PROMISE: Tax Reform Delivers for Jamison Door Employees and Ensures the Company’s Continued Growth,” NAM’s Shopfloor Blog, 7/05/2018)

• “‘Right now, we’re in the process of adding a significant-sized facility to add different product lines,’ added Chairman and CEO John Williams, referencing his company’s plan to expand a product line of high-speed roll-up doors. ‘It’s a 400 percent increase in plant size.’ ‘We are spending about $1.5 million on new state-of-the-art equipment in our main plant, which makes foamed-in-place cold storage doors, and more than $3.5 million on the new plant for high-speed roll-up doors. These are significant investments for a company our size, and we feel comfortable making these investments because of the favorable business climate and the benefits of the lower tax rates.’” (“KEEPING OUR PROMISE: Tax Reform Delivers for Jamison Door Employees and Ensures the Company’s Continued Growth,” NAM’s Shopfloor Blog, 7/05/2018)