Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1721, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act.

Our Nation's manufacturing base was once the envy of the world. Unfortunately, it faced steady headwinds for decades. The United States' share of global manufacturing activity declined from 28 percent in 2002 to less than 16 percent in 2021.

Fortunately, the work we did under the Biden administration, passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, started to turn the tide. Our Nation added over 700,000 manufacturing jobs during President Biden's time in office.

However, we must not allow President Trump to put this great progress in jeopardy with his chaotic trade wars and uncertain tariff policies. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand with the domestic manufacturers they claim to support by speaking out against the uncertain market environment that this administration has thrown manufacturing into. We should be working together on commonsense investments and legislation to strengthen domestic supply chains and manufacturing, as we have done before, instead of allowing President Trump and his friends to crash our economy, including the manufacturing sector, with careless policies.

H.R. 1721 will commission the Department of Commerce to study the costs, benefits, and feasibility of manufacturing products within critical infrastructure sectors so we can take well-informed and strategic next steps to bolster our Nation's supply chains.

I thank our Democratic sponsor, Representative Schrier, for her work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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