For many years, manufacturing has been the engine of the U.S. economy, creating middle-class jobs both in and out of the industry and driving economic growth.

Manufacturing’s success has increased rates of health and retirement coverage, increased wages, and fueled GDP growth.

Since January of 2001, the United States has lost over 2.8 million manufacturing jobs. As a result, manufacturing states have seven of the ten highest unemployment rates in the country. Although the manufacturing states themselves have borne the brunt of the crisis, the effect has rippled out to the country as a whole. Real wages for the average worker fell by 1.3 percent in 2004. Private sector job growth has been an anemic 2.4 percent during the Bush administration. By contrast, the number of private sector jobs increased by nearly a quarter during the manufacturing-fueled expansion of gross domestic product during the 1990s.

Rep. Levin believes the federal government needs to take action to help manufacturing address its challenges and deal with the manufacturing jobs crisis. But despite repeated requests, there has been little action. He was surprised and disappointed that President Bush did not even say the word “manufacturing” during his State of the Union address.

Rep. Levin’s manufacturing "to do" list for the federal government