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WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Congressman David Wu successfully defended the Northwest Manufacturing Initiative, an economic development initiative designed to keep jobs in Oregon by enhancing the profile of Northwest manufacturing companies.
During debate of an annual spending bill for the Department of Defense in the U.S. House of Representatives, Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) moved to strike $2.5 million in federal funds for the Northwest Manufacturing Initiative. Congressman Wu, and the entire Oregon and Washington delegations, defeated the move and retained the federal funds.
Congressman Wu fought for the funds to support innovative, cutting-edge technologies coming out of the Northwest to benefit both military and domestic initiatives and create jobs for Oregonians. The funds in the bill are specifically directed to research and develop the reliability, cost-effectiveness and performance of products designed for the military marketplace, to increase the state's ability to train workers for manufacturing jobs and build capacity for small and medium sized companies to be more competitive.
"I fully support this job-creating initiative," said Congressman Wu. "Through this effort, businesses will be able to continue to develop and market innovative products and compete more effectively for work. We need this initiative to promote job growth in the Northwest and fight the flow of manufacturing jobs to offshore locations."
The Northwest Manufacturing Initiative is an innovation of Governor Ted Kulongoski and manufacturing businesses in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The initiative features the commitment of significant resources at the federal, state, and local government levels and the manufacturing industry.
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