Investing in America’s Twenty-First Century Workforce 

Members of Congress were sent to Washington to work toward a very specific goal – getting America moving again and getting our economy back on track. This means focusing relentlessly on recovery. However, mere recovery cannot be our only goal. Chris has long believed that the best way to help stabilize neighborhoods, support families, and fight poverty is through ensuring more and more Americans have access to good, quality jobs. We need to pursue a new manufacturing agenda, one that will lead to the creation of inventive businesses that will open new plants and hire workers for more skilled, domestically based, and sustainable jobs.

The advanced manufacturing sector can thrive in America, and government can play an instrumental role in creating the climate necessary to do so. The keys to economic recovery and long-term growth are investments today in an educated workforce, our public infrastructure, and funding for research and development. This also includes strengthening our enforcement of trade rules to ensure our exporters have a fair playing field.

In Delaware, we have the ability to bring together stakeholders often seen as adversaries, such as labor and business or local and federal government, and engender productive collaboration. We need to replicate this model and these successes all over the country.

There should be no higher priority for Congress than:

• Incentivizing the growth of America’s advanced manufacturing sector. Congress should pursue policies that directly incentivize the growth of high-tech and clean energy manufacturing. The average manufacturing worker in our country earns roughly 25 percent more than workers in all other sectors, and manufacturing jobs have traditionally been a ladder into the middle class for so many families. By pushing a pro-manufacturing agenda, we can foster the growth of sustainable jobs for years to come.
• Promoting innovation by investing in research, development, and innovation. An important concrete step we can take right now is making the research and development tax credit permanent. Additionally, Congress should pass legislation creating a manufacturing tax credit tied to research and development here in order to incentivize the building of new manufacturing capacity that results from new discoveries.
• Helping local governments invest in public infrastructure to attract new businesses. An important step we can take is the extension of the Build America Bonds program to help local governments invest in public infrastructure. Building new roads, pipes, and electrical connections can help draw manufacturing firms and bring new skilled jobs.
• Investing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching and learning. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – or “STEM” – fields are critical to preparing students for skilled manufacturing jobs and 21st Century competitiveness. We need to continue making investments in an educated workforce from the earliest levels of schooling. At a time when American students are falling behind their counterparts from Asia and Europe on international standardized testing, Congress must be proactive in ensuring that educators have the resources they need to graduate students who are well-prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators and entrepreneurs. 
• Passing the Innovate America Act. The Innovate America Act would double the number of STEM-focused high schools nationwide and provide grants to colleges and universities that succeed in retaining STEM majors through graduation. It would also expand the basic research tax credit and provide a new credit for equipment donations to high schools and technical colleges. This bill supports advanced manufacturing by providing an extra $2 million each year to enforce trade rules and by launching a manufacturing assistance program to help small and medium sized firms increase exports. Chris is proud to be a cosponsor and will work hard to pass it.
• Taking a tougher stand on enforcing trade agreements. We must do more to increase exports and help more of our businesses – especially small businesses – compete overseas. It is important that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative strongly enforce trade rules, and Congress should support programs to help businesses learn about new export opportunities.