Make It In America: What’s Next?
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and House Democrats have updated the Make It In America plan to address today’s economic challenges and opportunities. Launched in 2010, the Make It In America plan aims to create the best conditions for American businesses to innovate, manufacture, and create jobs right here at home.
Since then, seventeen Make It In America bills have been signed into law, including legislation to cut taxes and provide loans for small businesses, speed up the patent process, train skilled workers, and end tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas.
Each Congress, the Make It In America plan has been updated with new legislation and ideas to strengthen the economy. In 2015, Whip Hoyer and House Democrats hosted a series of hearings entitled “Make It In America: What’s Next?” to explore how the economy has, and hasn’t, changed over the past six years, and what families and businesses need to succeed in today’s economy. During the hearing series, 77 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 today’s challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. Click here for a look at testimony from the hearings.
Today, the Make It In America plan focuses on four areas of action that build on the ideas explored during the “Make It In America: What’s Next?” hearings. House Democrats have proposed bills and ideas within the four areas of action, which you can find here.
To Make It In America in today’s economy, we must:
Expand Entrepreneurship & Innovation
- Promote entrepreneurship through access to Maker Spaces and Fab Labs
- Increase access to capital for entrepreneurs, with protections for investors, so that start-up businesses can get off the ground.
- Facilitate the growth of the on-demand economy while ensuring strong labor protections.
- Provide tax incentives and reduce regulatory burdens to incentivize entrepreneurship and give start-up businesses a stronger chance at success.
Close the Skills Gap
- Promote partnerships between educational institutions and businesses, including through apprenticeships, to build a workforce that has the skills needed for today’s economy.
- Increase resources for job training & retraining programs.
- Invest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics) education at every level.
- Increase resources for job training & retraining programs.
Build a 21st Century Infrastructure
- Invest in a modern infrastructure – highways, railways, ports, airports – to connect companies with their workers and improve their ability to access markets.
- Invest in local infrastructure, including water systems, which can attract or deter companies from staying in a location.
- Invest in modern technology infrastructure, including broadband, which is critical to ensuring businesses have access to the growing majority of their customers.
Break Down Barriers to Manufacturing in the US
- Support businesses during the scale-up phase so that it makes financial sense to make their products here in the U.S.
- Continue to support manufacturing networks and regional programs that increase U.S. competitiveness.
- Increase exposure to manufacturing & manufacturing concepts at all levels of education to build the next generation of manufacturers.
