Press Releases

Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) announced the introduction of legislation this week in the House of Representatives to establish the role of U.S. Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO), responsible for the coordination and review of federal manufacturing-related policies as well as the development of a National Manufacturing Strategy.

Established under the Executive Office of the President, the CMO would provide industry-specific advice on tax policies, tariffs, infrastructure, transportation, regulations, and workforce development. Retaining, filling, and growing manufacturing jobs in the United States is a complex task that requires deliberate, often interconnected action across different Federal and State government agencies.

"Now more than ever before, focused coordination of national manufacturing policies is needed to ensure a clear path for future growth," said Congressman Balderson, who joined 11 of his House colleagues as an original cosponsor of the resolution. "The role of Chief Manufacturing Officer will better equip our manufacturing sector to pursue a comprehensive strategy that strengthens our free-market enterprises, in light of international competitors that sometimes play by different rules."

In 2015, Chinese leaders published their China 2025 plan that names manufacturing as one of their top five goals. Germany and the rest of the European Union, Korea, Japan, and others are also focusing national efforts on manufacturing.

In the U.S., manufacturing activities in the federal government span across 11 agencies and more than 50 different programs.

H.R. 2900, sponsored by House Manufacturing Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), is supported by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), Automation Federation (AF), International Society of Automation (ISA), Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Intelligent Systems International (IMS-I), Manufacturing Alliance of Communities (MAC), National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), and National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM).