Make It In America
In 2022, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Democrats unveiled the new Make It In America plan to create jobs and expand economic opportunity. With too many Americans only getting by instead of getting ahead, the plan focuses on four key areas where Congress can be a partner in creating the best conditions for the growth of jobs and opportunities. They are: education, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, and supply chain resilience. Twenty-two bipartisan Make It In America bills have now been enacted into law, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021 and the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022.
To read Leader Hoyer’s remarks on the updated Make It In America plan, click here. For more information on the goals and policy recommendations included in the Make It In America plan, click here.
First launched by Leader Hoyer in 2010 when our economic recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis was just beginning, the Make It In America plan has been focused on gathering the best ideas and transforming them into policies that Congress can enact to help workers and businesses succeed. The plan has brought together bipartisan policies and legislation aimed at promoting economic growth, the creation of jobs that won’t be outsourced, and building a competitive workforce that can access opportunities in today’s changing global economy.
Recognizing the many changes that took place during our recovery, House Democrats held a series of hearings in 2015 called “Make It In America: What’s Next?” to explore new challenges and new opportunities in our economy. During the hearing series, seventy-seven House Democrats heard testimony from innovators, entrepreneurs, economists, Members of Congress, and others about how the Make It In America plan should be updated to address new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. Click here for a look at testimony from the hearings. It was in these hearings that House Democrats identified the three original areas on which Congress ought to focus: education, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure.
Understanding that the best ideas would come from outside of Washington, Leader Hoyer and House Democrats embarked on the Make It In America Listening Tour starting in 2017, visiting nine cities across the country to hear directly from Americans about the challenges they face and identifying best practices in meeting them. The ideas shared on this tour informed the 2018 update to the Make It In America plan.
As we continue our financial recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Make It In America agenda is responding to the challenges of today’s economy with the inclusion of a fourth pillar, supply chain resilience, which joins MIIA’s existing pillars of education, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure to serve as an effective playbook to expand American families’ and businesses’ access to the tools they need to succeed in our twenty-first century global economy
Wanted to make sure you all saw the Make It In America bill on the House Floor tonight. H.R. 4041, the Export Promotion Reform Act, is bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Howard Berman and Don Manzullo. This bill would allow companies to increase exports of U.S. goods and services and add jobs for American workers.
I was honored to join the President today as he signed into law a bipartisan reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. Democrats unanimously supported this bill in the House, and it is an important part of House Democrats’ Make It In America plan for job creation and long-term economic competitiveness.
Wanted to be sure you saw this USA Today editorial highlighting growth in the manufacturing sector and investments government can make to build on this momentum, such as the Export-Import Bank and workforce development. These investments are part of Democrats’ Make It In America jobs plan – a plan to strengthen manufacturing and grow our economy by cultivating an encouraging environment for businesses to innovate and make products here in the U.S.
I am pleased that the Senate passed the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank that the House approved last week. This bipartisan legislation will enable the Export-Import Bank to continue helping American businesses remain competitive in overseas markets, which will, in turn, provide manufacturers with greater certainty that they can invest in growth and create well paying jobs here in our country.
Mr. Speaker, today we are ending the uncertainty for American manufacturers waiting for Congress to act by coming together to re-authorize the U.S. Export-Import Bank. I want to thank the Republican leader, Mr. Cantor, and his staff – I mentioned Neil Bradley before – for working with Democrats to find common ground and reach an agreement that is supported by both business and labor, Democrats and Republicans. I also want to commend Ranking Member Barney Frank of the Financial Services Committee and Carolyn McCarthy who's done such an extraordinary effort on this effort as well. She’s the Ranking Member – Mr. Miller chairs it – of the International Monetary Policy Subcommittee. Their hard work has been important to make sure this agreement will help American businesses save and create jobs.
The Ex-Im Bank helps American companies sell their goods all over the world, and these exports support U.S. jobs. The Ex-Im Bank provides financing that levels the playing field for U.S. exporters who are facing competition from foreign companies whose governments are aggressively supporting their exports. To meet expected financing demands, the bill being considered today increases the Bank’s exposure limit to $120 billion through September 30, and increases the limit to $130 billion in Fiscal Year 2013 and $140 billion in Fiscal Year 2014.
Perhaps the only silver lining to the Great Recession is that it triggered a new focus on manufacturing in the United States. After 25 years of being sold a shiny vision of a service-dominated post-industrial economy, the U.S. is rediscovering how important it is to actually make things in order to spur innovation, raise wages, drive exports and lower the trade deficit.
Today, the President called on Congress to take concrete steps that will help American businesses create jobs that won’t be shipped overseas. It is very unfortunate that Republicans in control of the House have chosen to shirk their responsibilities by refusing to consider a comprehensive plan for growing jobs. Moreover, after a year in the majority, they continue to block Democrats’ Make It In America jobs plan.
The agreement announced last week on a long-term reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank ends uncertainty for businesses and provides the Export-Import Bank resources needed to keep American manufacturers competitive in a global market. This agreement is an important part of Democrats’ Make It In America plan to create an encouraging environment for businesses to innovate and make products here in the U.S., and is supported by everyone from labor to business.
Wanted to be sure you saw this op-ed by David Ignatius in Sunday’s Washington Post highlighting the resurgence of American manufacturing and the emerging trend of “reshoring.” While Republicans have still not put forward a comprehensive jobs plan, House Democrats are focused on creating an encouraging environment for businesses to bring jobs back home and to innovate and make product