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
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., defended President Obama's outreach to the business community the morning after the president's speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce enraged liberals who worried Obama was cozying up to Wall Street and major corporations.
Today, President Obama unveiled a budget that makes tough choices to reduce spending and cut the deficit by $1.1 trillion while protecting investments that strengthen the economy and create jobs. His budget priorities stand in strong contrast to the Republican Spending Bill, a short-sighted proposal that arbitrarily cuts critical investments and does not put forward a real plan to address the deficit – even after they proposed policies that would add $5 trillion to the deficit.
Today, President Obama released his proposed Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The president’s budget makes the tough choices we need to reduce spending and put our nation’s fiscal house in order; in fact, it would reduce our deficit by $1.1 trillion over the next decade. At the same time, however, the budget identifies those investments we need to grow our economy and create jobs—investments in out-building, out-innovating, and out-educating competitors around the world. President Obama’s priorities—protecting our fiscal future while investing in growth—stand in strong contrast to the priorities of Republicans. Their spending bill for the rest of this fiscal year would make indiscriminate and short-sighted cuts to the investments our economy needs to stay competitive. I hope that Republicans will, instead, work with President Obama to reduce our deficit without sacrificing America’s competitive edge.
Tomorrow, the Trade Adjustment Assistance program will expire. As a result, tens of thousands of American workers will lose essential benefits on Monday—because Republicans have failed to extend this vital jobs program. American workers who have lost their jobs as a result of trade have been able to rely on the TAA program to train for jobs in new industries or pursue further education, helping them stay competitive in a changing economy. Democrats—who have been pursuing the Make It In America agenda to create good jobs here and rebuild our middle class—believe that programs such as TAA are essential to our national competitiveness and to economic growth. But Republicans would rather spend hours debating a symbolic resolution on the House Floor than stop TAA benefits from expiring. Once again, Republicans have failed to take job creation seriously.
This resolution directs House committees to review federal regulations for their effect on our economy. I agree with it—in fact, that’s oversight that committees should already be doing. Democrats believe that it’s important to vigorously review regulations to make sure they’re keeping pace with a changing economy—and that’s why President Obama has already issued an executive order that calls for such a review.
While we wait to see Republicans’ full proposal, what we’ve seen so far shows that they have not made the careful decisions necessary to ensure that while we cut spending, we do not cut investments in our economic future. Democrats believe we must reduce the deficit and cut spending, but not at the expense of the investments that will pay off tomorrow with an educated workforce, cutting edge research that keeps our economy the world’s leader, and a strong infrastructure.
Democrats are committed to restoring fiscal responsibility and cutting spending is one part of the effort to reduce the deficit. While Democrats agree that we must reduce spending, House Republicans have introduced a short-sighted plan that does not distinguish between necessary cuts, and cuts to investments that are critical to our continued economic recovery. While Speaker Boehner has dismissed investment in long-term economic growth as “ineffective stimulus,” Democrats are focused on cutting spending without cutting smart investments in our future that create jobs, expand private sector employment and will continue growing the economy.
I tell people the Democratic party sees themselves as the party of workers, but if we're going to be the party of workers, we have to be the party of employers. People have to understand that synergy. I think it's appropriate that the President reaches out. We have an agenda that I call Make It In America. That has a number of meanings. Obviously going to make it, you are going to succeed. But also that we're going to manufacture things, make things and sell them abroad, grow things and sell them abroad. The President wants to double exports. The way we'll do that is to have a working relationship between business and the Congress and the President.
Today’s employment report for January shows that America’s private sector grew for the 13th month in a row. For the second straight month, our unemployment rate dropped by .4%, to 9.0%, matching the sharpest one-month decline since 1998. But more needs to be done for the millions of Americans who are still out of work.
I believe it is essential that Washington return to fiscal responsibility and tackle our deep debt. While cutting spending is part of the solution, a responsible approach must recognize there are federal investments that can best help grow our economy and create jobs. The Republican plan to cut those job-creating investments is dangerously short-sighted. The economy is starting to move again, but Republican policies would put the brakes on it. And Republicans are ignoring the calls from business, education and other leaders to increase key investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure that are at the heart of economic growth and job creation. Just as few parents would immediately cut back on their children’s education to balance their household budget, America should not follow Republican proposals to shortchange the future.