NAM Issues ‘American Renewal Action Plan’

The following is the introduction to National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)’s American Renewal Action Plan. The complete document can be found at this link.

 

“Manufacturers have mobilized to respond to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in ways unseen in modern history. The industry has been on the front lines as part of the nation’s critical
infrastructure, supplying health care workers, working toward treatments and producing Americans’ daily needs. The men and women of manufacturing, even as they are profoundly affected by the economic crisis, have a special and essential role in America’s response, recovery and renewal. We offer this American Renewal Action Plan, knowing manufacturers possess a unique perspective on the current situation and are critical to ensuring America emerges stronger than ever before.

In accordance with the President’s “Opening Up America Again” guidelines, governors and local officials will make the call on exactly when and how we “reopen” and move forward. But it is clear that America urgently needs personal protective equipment to support not only our hospitals but all sectors of the economy. This unforeseen crisis has created an unprecedented demand for PPE—unique to this threat and time—that our nation is woefully unprepared to meet. This is why during the response phase manufacturers must be able to ramp up production of PPE in an historic way so that the country is ready and well supplied.

Manufacturing has long been the backbone of the American economy, and our future success will depend on manufacturing’s resiliency. For the recovery phase, policymakers must provide the tools needed to restart our economy, including strong liability protections. And for long-term renewal, we must set the stage for long-term growth, which will include historic investment in
our nation’s infrastructure, robust workforce training, regulatory improvements and more. The road ahead is not easy. Bringing our $22 trillion economy out of our “induced coma” is a
herculean task for the ages. This challenge will require our policymakers to innovate and act boldly. This crisis will the need the whole of the nation to unite in common pursuit. And, as with
other consequential moments in our history, it will be manufacturers who make the difference to lead us forward—to secure the future health, safety and prosperity of all Americans.”