Post by bot on Jun 26, 2016 17:01:09 GMT -5
Hoyer Remarks at SelectUSA Investment Summit
"We Want You to Make It In America"
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke at the SelectUSA Investment Summit this afternoon to discuss House Democrats' new Make It In America plan and how the federal government can help more businesses Make It In America. The Summit brings together government officials, foreign investors, and economic development officials to discuss the U.S. government’s support of foreign direct investment to generate economic growth and create jobs here at home. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
“Thank you, [Deputy Secretary of Commerce] Bruce [Andrews].
“And thanks to all of you for being here and for your interest in investing in this country.
“I’m here today to convey one important message: ‘We want you to Make It In America.’ And: ‘We want you to select the United States as a place to locate and grow your business.’
“In 2010, as House Majority Leader, I launched the ‘Make It In America’ plan for jobs and opportunity. Our plan focused on making the federal government a partner in helping businesses – particularly manufacturing businesses – compete and grow here in America.
“One of our Make It In America bills has been Rep. Raul Ruiz’s ‘G.R.O.W. Act,’ which would reauthorize the SelectUSA program for five years, allowing this program to expand and continue working to bring businesses here to create jobs in the United States.
“Over the past six years, we worked across the aisle to get a number of important bills passed. But a lot has changed since 2010. The global economy – and the American economy – have changed in profound ways, presenting new challenges for businesses and their workers as well as new opportunities.
“Through the actions of President Obama and Congress – and through the hard work and perseverance of the American people – we’ve brought our economy from recession to recovery.
“Now our goal must be to bring it from recovery to resurgence.
“Last week, I traveled to an innovative ‘maker space’ in Baltimore to unveil a new ‘Make It In America’ plan for 2016 and beyond.
“Our new plan seeks to give businesses and workers the tools they need to surmount these new challenges and make new opportunities work to their full advantage.
“Some of these same opportunities are what led you to come to the SelectUSA Summit and consider investing here. They include cheaper energy, produced right here in America; new advances in technology that connect us like never before; and the rise of the ‘on-demand’ economy.
“More businesses are realizing that American consumers want to buy American-made goods. Not only because of their quality but because they can be produced and delivered almost immediately, opening up opportunities for businesses that market customization of their products.
“In Baltimore last week, I visited a start-up company making sleek, beautiful, high-quality skateboards that can be covered in custom designs. An Australian company tried to lure them down under, saying it would be cheaper to manufacture there. But the founder of the company said ‘no,’ understanding that his advantage lay in producing locally.
“That’s an advantage your businesses can have, and it’s something our Make It In America plan will seek to make easier for you and others who want to ‘build it’ here.
“Another key action area under our plan is to close the skills gap.
“Already, American workers are the most productive in the world. In the next few years, we’re determined to make sure they remain the most innovative and most highly skilled and highly trained workers too.
“That means that businesses making it in America will hold a further advantage – and that advantage is the power of the American worker.
“There has never been a better time to invest in the United States. I firmly believe that Congress will be able to move past its current moment of gridlock and come together in the years ahead to make it easier for businesses to invest in America, to make it in America, to be profitable in America, and to succeed and grow here for the long term.
“That’s something for which Secretary Pritzker has been working very hard – and Bruce as well.
“It’s something President Obama has made a priority.
“Yesterday, he announced that a consortium of nearly 200 partners in Los Angeles will lead a new ‘smart manufacturing innovation institute’ as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. And he shared that five more institutes are open to competition.
“This network of institutes is consistent with the goals of the Make It In America plan. We want to break down barriers to manufacturing here, and targeted research helps to achieve that goal.
“But this particular announcement of the President’s fits in with our new Make It In America plan because the new smart sensors and digital controls the institute will help develop are part of the broader ‘internet of things.’ We’ve been hearing more and more about how these sensors and controls can help improve efficiency for businesses and lead to new products.
“My fellow House Democrats and I will continue to push for Make It In America proposals in Congress.
“Because we want you to find a place where it makes good financial sense to invest and hire – and we think that place is right here, in the United States.
“So thank you for your interest and for being here at this summit, and I hope all of you will invest here, select our country, and Make It In America.”