Manufacturing.gov Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Manufacturing.gov Act, H.R. 6290, a bill that would refine the Manufacturing.gov website to serve as the main source for key information regarding federal manufacturing programs.

Manufacturing.gov brings together industry, academia and federal partners within a network of advanced manufacturing institutes to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust and sustainable national manufacturing R&D infrastructure.

This legislation would specify improvements to the website to make it even more useful and valuable by requiring the inclusion of relevant contact information, opportunities for public input, and webpages focusing on topics related to the website.

Small and medium sized manufacturers are an essential part of the U.S. economy.

In Texas, they make up approximately 13 percent of output and employ just above 7 percent state's workforce.

Manufacturing companies need easy access to critical information within their industrial field to optimize their efficiency and ability to compete. To promote domestic production and provide job opportunities to hard-working Americans, these companies need real-time data on sourcing, markets, supply chains, and fulfillment.

As the U.S. elevates domestic manufacturing to a top economic priority, we must improve and update our systems to better equip these companies, and the public, with the resources they need to succeed.

This bill would establish a new section of the Manufacturing.gov website titled ``Manufacturing.gov hub'' to include federal manufacturing program information.

To ensure that the Manufacturing.gov hub serves the needs of the people, it is important that the public has the ability to suggest input and feedback.

Allowing the public to give feedback on the website's functionality, as well as its content, allows the site to better serve the needs of U.S. manufacturing while providing a safe, constructive environment to present concerns and solutions.

In order to support the interests of the free market, it is imperative that we make transparent the types of technologies and research that are being developed.

Texas is home to companies that manufacture a wide range of advanced and essential goods, including railcars and railways, clean energy equipment, and everyday household items such as backpacks, blankets, and towels.

Providing these companies with easily accessible sites that are dedicated to their respective industries provides them with the necessary information they need to improve their production.

This bill would provide industrial sectors with accurate, up-to-date information webpages within each hub.

Finally, the Manufacturing.gov Act will utilize machine learning to highlight frequently asked questions and provide corresponding answers for such questions.

By introducing machine learning into the hub, we can refine the website to fit the needs of U.S. manufacturers.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill dedicated to bolstering the U.S. manufacturing and production industry by establishing a hub that supplies U.S. small and medium manufacturing companies with recent technological and research developments.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6290) to provide for the establishment of a section of the website of the Department of Commerce that shall serve as the primary hub for information relating to Federal manufacturing programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6290.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 6290, the Manufacturing.gov Act.

America's competitiveness helped build the largest, most dynamic economy in the world. But America's competitiveness is facing unprecedented challenges.

Once the envy of the world, our manufacturing base has faced steady headwinds for decades now. Between 2002 and 2020, our Nation's share of global manufacturing activity declined from 28 percent to just over 17 percent. Five million manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2000. Investment in America's small and medium manufacturers, the bedrock of our industrial might, has also declined over the last 20 years by over $200 billion.

To support economic growth and opportunity, we must ensure that the United States has a vibrant, thriving industrial base. It must be capable of developing the technologies and manufacturing the products essential for economic development and prosperity in the 21st century. Fortunately, there are dozens of programs across the Federal Government that provide support for American manufacturing, but today, there is no centralized repository of information about these programs.

Manufacturing programs cannot have their intended effect if not used, and programs cannot be used if potential beneficiaries are not aware that they exist.

The Manufacturing.gov Act requires the Department of Commerce to ensure that the Manufacturing.gov website serves as the primary hub for information relating to Federal manufacturing programs. This critical web page will arm beneficiaries with the information they need to tap into these vital manufacturing programs.

The Manufacturing.gov Act was unanimously reported out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 54-0 in July.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), the sponsor of this bill and chair of our Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this on a bipartisan basis. It is certainly a goal of this Congress to bring back manufacturing and do whatever we can to encourage domestic manufacturing.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, again, I rise today in support of H.R. 6290, the Manufacturing.gov Act.

H.R. 6290 will require the Department of Commerce to designate a portion of the Manufacturing.gov website to serve as a source for businesses to have access to information relating to Federal manufacturing programs.

As part of the website, the Department of Commerce must make available contact information for relevant program offices carrying out manufacturing programs, web pages that focus on topics such as trade, workforce development, and small and medium manufacturers, as well as provide an avenue for public input and feedback related to Federal manufacturing programs.

Our country faced many challenges, as our chairman said, during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially our manufacturing businesses.

I thank Representative Tonko, Representative Axne, and Representative Upton, former chairman of the full committee, for their work on this legislation to provide such businesses with resources to help them get back on their feet. This is so vitally needed, Mr. Speaker.

I urge my colleagues to pass this particular piece of legislation, and let's get it to the Senate as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage us to pass this bill as soon as possible in a bipartisan fashion, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) for yielding.

The Manufacturing.gov Act is a vital piece of legislation that supports American manufacturers, boosting our economy, our job growth, and our global competitiveness.

The COVID crisis has strained our supply chains and limited factory production abilities, overwhelmingly hurting the middle-class workers who drive our Nation's economy and our industry.

Congress has a duty to support manufacturers and their workers in every way possible, and that includes making it easier to navigate what Federal resources are available to them.

The Manufacturing.gov Act offers a simple, bipartisan solution to do just that. This legislation establishes a one-stop hub to centralize the 58 different Federal manufacturing programs that span some 11 Federal agencies.

It also encourages public feedback by offering an online avenue for people to

submit comments and concerns regarding such programs.

Now is the time to secure our supply chain and give local manufacturers in my home State of New York and across our great Nation the tools they need to identify the Federal support they will need to help them flourish.

I thank Representatives Axne and Upton, as well as Senator Peters, for being great collaborators on this bill. I urge my colleagues to come together to bolster our United States manufacturing arena.

Madam Speaker, I am not recorded for Roll Call votes No. 481, No. 482, No. 483, No. 484, and No. 485. Had I been present, I would have voted Yes on Roll Call No. 481 En Bloc Suspensions (H.R. 5721, H.R. 7299, H.R. 7277, H.R. 4275, H.R. 6290, H.R. 5502, H.R. 8416); Yes on Roll Call No. 482 (S. 3369); Yes on Roll Call No. 483 (S. 4359); Yes on Roll Call No. 484 (H.R. 2250); and Yes on Roll Call No. 485 (H.R. 3630).