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NAM: Timmons: Manufacturing as resilient and robust as ever

The Hill (2/4, Cirilli) reports that in a speech Tuesday at Purdue University in Indiana, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons “criticized President Obama’s budget proposal” for fiscal 2016. In his State of Manufacturing address kicking off the NAM’s State of Manufacturing Tour 2015,Timmons told the audience that the president’s $4 trillion spending package “would hurt the economy” if enacted. According to The Hill, “Timmons called on Congress to pass a series of policies NAM has fought for in the past,” such as granting the White House trade promotion, or “fast track,” authority to negotiate international trade deals. He also “reiterated NAM’s position” that the administration should renew certain business-tax credits, often called “extenders,” indefinitely, and that it ought to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Timmons “criticized Obama’s regulatory agenda, saying that it is stifling innovation and economic growth,” The Hill reports. Pointing out that the NAM represents over 14,000 manufacturers of all sizes, the association chief said: “Those family businesses ask me all the time: How can we make the government understand that their regulations hurt small businesses more than anyone?” He continued: “Like any manufacturing process, we need to put the right pieces in place. That begins with the right public policy — one that advances manufacturing and keeps America as exceptional as ever — the world’s best example of opportunity and optimism.”

Public radio station WBAA-FM Lafayette, IN (2/4, Jastrzebski) reports online about Timmons’ address, which touched on Purdue’s and Indiana’s roles in the manufacturing economy, and “echoed” Gov. Mike Pence’s “State of the State speech call for an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to energy technology.” Timmons said he would like that approach to include construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The Purdue (IN) Exponent (2/4, Tarter), the university’s student newspaper, also covers Timmons’ speech, noting that the State of Manufacturing tour “will travel the country to highlight the importance of the manufacturing sector” and the opportunities and challenges facing it. University President Mitch Daniels, a former Indiana governor and White House budget director, said in opening remarks prior to Timmons’ address: “Job for job, person for person, dollar for dollar, there is no sector that produces more, multiplies more or matters more (to the economy) than manufacturing.”

The Daily Caller (2/3, Stoltzfoos), under the headline “Manufacturers Demand ‘Sane’ Regulatory Environment,” also reports on Timmons’ speech, saying the NAM chief on Tuesday “touted an industry comeback” but also “warned lawmakers that overly burdensome regulations and high federal taxes are stifling its power and hurting the economy.” The story quotes Timmons as saying: “There are speed bumps slowing us down, so let’s get rid of them. Starting with achieving a sane regulatory environment.” He also rebutted the notion that US manufacturing is past its prime by “touting its contribution of $2 trillion to the economy, and its important place in American history,” the Daily Caller says.

Manufacturing Leaders Weigh In On Obama Budget. IndustryWeek (2/3, LaFrentz) reports on manufacturing industry leaders’ reaction to the budget proposal Obama released Monday, with the story noting that it includes money for “rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and helping middle-class Americans.” It cites NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons as disputing Obama’s claim that the spending plan would simplify tax policies for businesses. “If the President is serious about helping manufacturers sustain their resurgence in the United States, this outrageous budget proposal is a bad place to start,” Timmons said. “The Administration’s overall ‘tax-and-spend approach’ would make U.S. businesses less competitive, further complicating our tax code and stifling our economy while compounding our nation’s long-term fiscal problems.” The piece cites NAM Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations Aric Newhouse as saying that some provisions in Obama’s plan “would benefit manufacturers,” including the infrastructure upgrades and a permanent research-and-development credit. Newhouse added, however, “Unfortunately these pro-growth proposals find themselves in the shadow of job-killing tax increases.”

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