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
This afternoon, House Democrats held an important hearing on the ongoing work of job-creation and economic recovery for the middle class. As President Obama has argued persuasively, wise investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure are essential to America’s economic competitiveness and to creating a future of well-paying jobs. That's why Democrats continue to work to pass the Make It In America agenda, legislation aimed at rebuilding America's manufacturing strength and middle-class opportunity. It's also why Democrats have helped states and cities across our country finance much-needed roads and bridges, water and sewer projects, hospitals, energy projects, public utilities, and more. These projects mean immediate jobs--but they also mean a strong foundation for future growth.
The manufacturing sector grew at its fastest pace in nearly seven years in January and signs of inflation jumped more than expected as a recovery in the world's biggest economy gained traction.
I strongly support the new ‘Startup America’ initiative, which goes hand-in-hand with House Democrats’ Make It In America agenda to strengthen our manufacturing sector and ensure middle-class families can succeed. I look forward to working with President Obama as we move to unleash the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that is so unique to the American economy. It is that spirit that will keep driving job creation and keep the U.S. as the world leader in the 21st century global economy.
President Obama delivered a compelling vision of how we can work together to address America’s challenges. While our economy is on the road back to health, we know we still have a long way to go—and tonight, the president discussed a strategy for getting us there.
U.S. manufacturing, viewed as a lost cause by many Americans, has begun creating more jobs than it eliminates for the first time in more than a decade.
When China’s president, Hu Jintao, visits here next week, the exchange rate between Chinese and American currency will inevitably become a big topic of conversation.
Is American manufacturing dead? Those who think so point to manufacturing’s plummeting share of the national economy as a predictor of its eventual demise. But they likely have never been to Butler County. Here, north of Pittsburgh, in the heart of western Pennsylvania, basic manufacturing still drives the local economy. It has survived around here—indeed, thrived—suggesting that America, too, has an industrial future.
Recently an acquaintance at the next table in a Palo Alto (Calif.) restaurant introduced me to his companions, three young venture capitalists from China. They explained, with visible excitement, that they were touring promising companies in Silicon Valley. I've lived in the Valley a long time, and usually when I see how the region has become such a draw for global investments, I feel a little proud.
As Congress returns to work this week, our community is still recovering from the tragedy in Tucson, Ariz., and praying for the health of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and all of the wounded. A tragedy like this doesn’t make our differences disappear; but this can, I hope, be a time to remember that the grave challenges our nation faces are common to us all and can only be overcome with common effort.
Today’s employment report had some encouraging news for our economic recovery. Our economy added 103,000 jobs, and America’s private-sector, which added 113,000 jobs, grew for the 12th straight month by 113,000. Also encouraging was a sharp drop in the unemployment rate—the largest single-month decline since 1998.