We must renew our focus on “Making it in America,” and support small, medium and new businesses so they can drive innovation and job growth in our country.  We can innovate our way out of the decline in our manufacturing base, but we need a national policy to support industry and manufacturing. In June, Congressman Steny Hoyer and Congressman Sarbanes joined the Regional Manufacturing Institute in a roundtable discussion where they heard from business owners directly about the challenges they face. Some businesses are having trouble finding workers with the skills they need. Others find that lucrative government contracts are hard to come by, and are accompanied by red-tape that ultimately makes them less desirable. Some expressed concerns about competing in foreign markets. 

To overcome these challenges, we need a strong national vision for manufacturing policy. Congressman Sarbanes has worked to pass the National Manufacturing Strategy Act (H.R. 1366), which calls for a strategic analysis of the manufacturing sector including the international and economic environment, related technological developments, workforce elements, the impact of governmental policies, and other relevant issues affecting domestic manufacturers.  It would create the Manufacturing Strategy Task Force and the Manufacturing Strategy Board to make recommendations on strategy.