Status:
On April 17, the Senate Gang of Eight introduced S. 744, the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.” Immigration reform is at the forefront of both the Congressional and Administration’s agenda, and manufacturers are supportive of a bipartisan, comprehensive solution to the country’s immigration problems. Introduction of this bill is a firm first step towards that goal.

Manufacturers are significantly impacted by the lack of workers with skills to meet the needs of advanced manufacturing at all levels. As Congress begins work on immigration legislation, will you email, write or call your member of Congress? Contact your lawmakers today and let them know that the immigration laws as they stand are not workable. Immigration reform is necessary to strengthen the workforce and allow the United States to live up to its full potential.


Please take a few moments to contact your Representative and Senators to urge a bipartisan immigration solution as a step forward to modernizing our immigration system.

Please take a few moments to contact your Representative and Senators to urge a bipartisan immigration solution as a strong step forward.

1. Scroll down to send an email to your Representative and Senators to encourage their support of comprehensive immigration reform.
2. Call your members of Congress: scroll down and select "Phone," or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
3. Want to be an NAM Key Contact on immigration issues? Let us know.


Background:
On April 17, the Senate Gang of Eight introduced comprehensive immigration reform. In a 2010 survey, NAM members chose “creating a market based system to attract talent” as the most important goal of immigration reform. Adopting a legal immigration system that better reflects market demands and provides the flexibility needed to respond to specialized skill needs is vital to maintaining manufacturers’ ability to fuel economic growth.

NAM’s Key Immigration Reform Policies:

• Access to talented individuals with a high-quality education and advanced skills is critical to manufacturers’ capacity for innovation and business success.
• Creation of a legal system to address the future flow of workers necessary for our workforce needs.
• A workable employment verification and border security system to stem illegal immigration.
• A thoughtful component to legal immigration reform that addresses the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the United States.

Status:
India has increasingly engaged in a pattern of unfair and discriminatory treatment of U.S. goods at the expense of manufacturers in the United States and American jobs. While India continues to receive trade preferences on its exports to the United States, India has been blocking domestic exports and stealing domestic manufacturers’ intellectual property. These actions appear to violate India’s international obligations.

The Obama Administration needs to take a much more aggressive stance against actions that discriminate against domestic goods and jobs. Failure to act will send a dangerous message to other nations that such behavior is acceptable.

Members of Congress need to hear from manufacturers that foreign government actions like India’s are not fair and cannot continue. Tell Congress to press the Administration to raise these concerns immediately at the highest levels of the Indian government and to work effectively to level the playing field for our manufacturers.


1. Scroll down to easily send an email to your Representative and Senators today.
2. Want to be an NAM Key Contact on trade issues? Let us know.

Background:
Expanding access to the six billion consumers around the world is vital to grow manufacturing in the United States. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is working every day to open markets and expand trade opportunities.

In a difficult global economy, NAM’s members are facing increasing restrictions overseas as some countries seek to grow their own economies at the expense of manufacturing jobs in the United States.

Reminder: Senators and Representatives have received thousands of emails, letters and phone calls from both supporters and opponents of this issue. If you have yet to send a message to lawmakers, congressional offices especially need to hear from manufacturers. Please take just two minutes to quickly and easily email your personal members of Congress in support of the Keystone XL Pipeline!

Status:
On March 15, Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE-02) introduced H.R. 3, the “Northern Route Approval Act.” This legislation is anticipated to come to the full House of Representatives for a final vote during the week of May 20. Lawmakers need to hear support for this legislation today!


Please take a few moments to contact your Representative and Senators to urge passage of legislation that would bring to a close the unnecessarily protracted regulatory process for Keystone XL and allow the project to move forward.

1. Scroll down to quickly send an email to your Representative and Senators to encourage their support of H.R. 3 and the approval of the Keystone XL.
2. Want to be an NAM Key Contact on Keystone XL? Let us know.

Background:
On March 15, H.R. 3 was introduced to speed up the approval of Keystone XL pipeline. If passed, the legislation would declare all environmental requirements have been met by the studies and reviews conducted by the Department of State. The Department of State’s own Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement declares that the project will have no significant impact on the environment. Keystone XL has already been studied for five years, already three years longer than the original Keystone pipeline which was permitted in 2008 and that is double the size and crossing twice as many states as the Keystone XL pipeline. Manufacturers support an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy and believe the Keystone XL is vital to our energy future.

Completion of the Keystone XL pipeline is a priority for manufacturers, and passage of this bill would be an important step to speeding up the approval process that has thus far been stymied by this administration and pipeline opponents. Keystone XL has the ability to create jobs, not only in the construction sector but thousands of manufacturing jobs in areas such as concrete, steel pipes, fittings, valves, pumps and control devices to name just a few. As Congress considers H.R. 3 would you let them know of your support by calling or emailing your member of Congress? Contact your members of Congress today and let them know that completion of Keystone XL pipeline is vital to manufacturing and this country.

Background: The NAM believes that the United States needs a budget plan that puts the country on a path to reduce the federal debt and deficit, focusing both on real and immediate spending cuts and longer-term structural changes to our nation’s entitlement programs. In addition to advocating for debt and deficit reduction, the NAM also supports comprehensive tax reform to promote economic growth and domestic competitiveness. What You Can Do: 1. Scroll down to send an e-mail to your Representative and Senators to encourage them to support a pro-growth agenda. 2. Want to be an NAM Key Contact on tax issues? Let us know. NAM’s Key Takeaways: 1. A $580 billion tax increase will only fuel the headwinds manufacturers face, making them even less competitive and threatening economic growth and U.S. jobs. 2. At this time, it costs 20 percent more to manufacture in the United States, and we need your leadership to help create a permanent growth agenda in Washington. Click here to read more on the NAM’s response to the President’s proposed budget.

Urge Congress to Support a Pro-Growth Agenda

Status:
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released a study conducted by NERA Economic Consulting that shows a carbon tax would have a devastating impact on manufacturing. The report, titled, Economic Outcomes of a U.S. Carbon Tax, found that levying such a tax would result in higher prices for natural gas, electricity, gasoline and other energy commodities. Manufacturing output in energy-intensive sectors could drop by as much as 15 percent and 7.7 percent in non-energy intensive sectors.


1. Scroll down to send an email to your Representative and Senators to encourage them to support a pro-growth agenda.

2. Want to be an NAM Key Contact? Let us know.


NAM’s Carbon Tax Study Key Takeaways:

1. A carbon tax would have a net negative effect on consumption, investment and jobs, resulting in lower federal revenues from taxes on capital and labor.
2. Any revenue raised by a carbon tax—under both carbon tax cases—would be far outweighed by the negative impacts to the overall economy.
3. A carbon tax would lead to lower real wage rates because companies would have higher costs and lower labor productivity. Over time, workers’ incomes could decline relative to baseline levels by as much as 8.5 percent.
4. The overall impact on jobs would be substantial, with a loss of worker income equivalent to between 1.3 million and 1.5 million jobs in 2013 and between 3.8 million and 21 million by 2053.
5. The increased costs of coal, natural gas and petroleum products due to a carbon tax would ripple through the economy and result in higher production costs and less spending on non-energy goods.

Click here to review results of NAM’s carbon tax study as well as more detailed state-level impact reports.

The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) supports and grows manufacturing jobs in the United States by cutting costs and improving competitiveness.

Manufacturers of all sizes use the vital tariff suspensions contained in the MTB to obtain raw materials, inputs and other products that are not available domestically. Without the now-expired MTB, manufacturing production costs are higher, damaging our nation’s manufacturing competitiveness and threatening jobs for American workers.

Status:
All 2,100 duty suspension bills introduced last year have been thoroughly and meticulously vetted by the International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce. For three decades, Congress has approved this critical legislation, which suspends import tariffs on essential manufacturing inputs and products that are not produced in the United States.

Regrettably, Congress did not act on the MTB legislation, and existing duty suspensions expired on December 31, 2012; new duty suspension requests have not been considered.

Unless Congress acts on the expiring and new MTB provisions, costs will continue going up for manufacturers and jobs will be negatively impacted. Your members of Congress need to hear from you!


Please contact your members of the House and Senate and ask them to urge Congressional leadership to pass the MTB as quickly as possible.

1. Scroll down to easily send an email to your members of Congress, encouraging them to support passage of the MTB.
2. Call your lawmakers’ offices. Scroll down and select "Phone" to access talking points and contact information.
3. Sign up to be an NAM Key Contact on trade issues.

Background:
MTB legislation has historically been noncontroversial and has received strong bipartisan and bicameral support. The last time Congress considered MTB legislation – the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act of 2010— it passed the House by a vote of 378-43 and the Senate without opposition.

The costs of manufacturing in America are already 20 percent higher than for our major competitors. It is critical that Congress not add further costs on domestic manufacturers or cause further job losses in a sector that is trying to recover from one of the worst economic recessions in our history.

The MTB process is open and transparent. Each proposed duty suspension is subject to a meticulous and nonpartisan vetting process to ensure that no domestic producers of the affected product exist. In addition to the House and Senate committees of jurisdiction, the U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Office of Management and Budget all collaborate to review every bill. Each proposal is also subject to public comment periods.

* Click here for the industry support letter to Congressional leadership.
* Click here for the CEO letter to Congressional leadership urging their prompt action on the MTB.