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From personal heroes to tax reform and tariffs, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons covered it all in his recent appearance on iHeart Radio’s “CEOs You Should Know.”

From the beginning: In his June 9 with show host Mike Howard, Timmons told listeners about his journey from a childhood in the mill town of Chillicothe, Ohio, to his current role, running the largest manufacturing trade association in the U.S.

• As both the only child and the only grandchild in his family, Timmons was inspired professionally and personally by his parents and grandparents.
• Timmons’ grandfather “stood in line for six months during the Great Depression trying to get a job in manufacturing because he knew that that would be a way forward for his family,” he said.
• His mother climbed the ranks at the Chillicothe Gazette, eventually becoming president and CEO of the newspaper, and his father owned an appliance store, Timmons Appliance and TV.

Part of the Reagan Revolution: As an undergraduate student at Ohio State University, Timmons decided that college wasn’t for him—and he wanted “to do everything I could to help Ronald Reagan succeed.”

• So, he headed for Washington, D.C., where he ended up on Capitol Hill. His desire to enter politics “was really about [wanting to help shape] policy that enabled people to live their best lives.”
• Timmons ended up becoming the youngest chief of staff in the U.S.—to Virginia Gov. George Allen.

The road to manufacturing: Later, Timmons took over the policy and government relations team at the 51�Թ���, where he spent six years shaping the association’s agenda before being named CEO in 2011.

• “[M]anufacturing is not a partisan issue, and [neither is] the success of America,” Timmons continued. The industry “is really infused into the fabric of all we are as Americans. … [M]anufacturing helped us to build the infrastructure system that made us the strongest, most connected economy in the world in the 1950s and ’60s.”

Rocket fuel: From 2018 to 2022, manufacturing “had record investment, we had record hiring, and we had record wage growth over the course of the next three years—because of that rocket fuel, as President Trump called it,” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

On tariffs: The manufacturing industry in the U.S. is hoping the administration and its trading partners will make trade deals during the current three-month pause on tariffs.

• “[M]anufacturers … are very hopeful that the administration really is going to be able to settle in their 90-day window all of these potential trade agreements throughout the world,” he said, adding that it would mean that “manufacturers actually can have the certainty they need to again invest higher and increase wages and benefits.”

The Senate Finance Committee yesterday released draft text of the tax sections of the reconciliation bill, preserving most of the pro-growth tax provisions that manufacturers—and the 51�Թ���—have long advocated.

What’s in it: The bill reflects the 51�Թ���’s key tax priorities, including:

• A permanent pass-through deduction and retention of pro-growth individual and corporate tax rates;
• Permanence for pro-growth tax policies like immediate R&D expensing, full expensing for capital equipment purchases and a pro-growth interest deductibility standard;
• An expanded and permanent estate tax exemption;
• Pro-manufacturing reforms to the international tax system that protect America’s competitiveness on the world stage; and
• A first-of-its-kind incentive allowing immediate expensing of the cost of new factories and modernizations.

What’s not in it: Critical energy and manufacturing incentives are still on the line. The Senate bill makes changes to these provisions from the House bill—and the 51�Թ��� is already working to ensure policymakers understand the implications these changes could have for manufacturers in America and American energy dominance.

The 51�Թ���’s advocacy: The 51�Թ��� has long urged Congress to make permanent the pro-growth policies of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Its multiyear campaign has put manufacturers front and center to show why preserving tax reform is essential for driving investment and creating jobs.

• Most recently, the 51�Թ��� released a report, “,” featuring manufacturers’ own accounts of how the TCJA helped them invest in their facilities, their workers and their communities.
• The 51�Թ��� has stayed in constant contact with lawmakers, to preserve the crucial manufacturing priorities from the House bill while also adopting targeted improvements to ensure the final package is maximally beneficial for manufacturers’ investment and job creation.

The 51�Թ��� says: “Chairman Crapo and the Senate Finance Committee are delivering the kind of tax policy manufacturers have been calling for—policy that drives growth, unlocks investment and grows jobs,” 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “… By preserving the full suite of pro-growth policies from the TCJA, this bill marks a major step forward for manufacturing in America.”

• “Manufacturers also want to ensure that the tax code continues to support inbound investment into the United States as well as preserve incentives that drive investments in the manufacturing and energy production needed to power America’s economic growth. If the Senate acts now, manufacturers can continue to grow—buying equipment, hiring workers, increasing pay and expanding operations with greater certainty and confidence.”
• “The Finance Committee recognizes what’s at stake:  depend on getting this right.”

Washington, D.C. – The Senate Finance Committee today unveiled its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—preserving the core of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons issued the following statement:

“Chairman Crapo and the Senate Finance Committee are delivering the kind of tax policy manufacturers have been calling for—policy that drives growth, unlocks investment and grows jobs. We commend Chairman Crapo for his leadership and steadfast commitment to pro-manufacturing tax policy. By preserving the full suite of pro-growth policies from the TCJA, this bill marks a major step forward for manufacturing in America.

“Manufacturers also want to ensure that the tax code continues to support inbound investment into the United States as well as preserve incentives that drive investments in the manufacturing and energy production needed to power America’s economic growth. If the Senate acts now, manufacturers can continue to grow—buying equipment, hiring workers, increasing pay and expanding operations with greater certainty and confidence.

“The Finance Committee recognizes what’s at stake: nearly 6 million jobs and more than a trillion dollars in economic output depend on getting this right.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lock in a manufacturing resurgence in the U.S. Let’s finish the job—because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

Background:

The Senate bill contains key 51�Թ��� priorities, including:

• A permanent pass-through deduction and retention of pro-growth individual and corporate tax rates;
• Permanence for pro-growth tax policies like immediate R&D expensing, full expensing for capital equipment purchases and a pro-growth interest deductibility standard;
• An expanded and permanent estate tax exemption;
• Pro-manufacturing reforms to the international tax system that protect America’s competitiveness on the world stage; and
• A first-of-its-kind incentive allowing immediate expensing of the cost of new factories and modernizations.

Last week, the 51�Թ��� released a report, “Keeping Our Promises: Manufacturers on Eight Years of Tax Reform,” featuring firsthand success stories from manufacturers on how the TCJA enabled them to invest in their facilities, their workers and their communities. Learn more about the 51�Թ���’s Manufacturing Wins campaign to protect 2017 tax reform here.

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

Washington, D.C. – As manufacturers call on Congress to urgently pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 51�Թ��� released a report today, “ that highlights the transformative impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on manufacturing in the U.S. From small family-run operations to global enterprises, the report shows how manufacturers delivered on their promises to invest, hire and grow, thanks to the savings from tax reform. It also warns of the serious risks to jobs and growth if pro-manufacturing tax policies are allowed to expire.

“The evidence is clear: manufacturing had its best job creation in more than two decades, the strongest wage growth in 15 years and significant investment in capital equipment after the passage of the TCJA in 2017,” said 51�Թ��� Executive Vice President Erin Streeter. “But several of these tax provisions have expired already—and the rest are scheduled to sunset at the end of this year—putting at risk 6 million American jobs, more than $500 billion in wages and benefits and more than $1 trillion in GDP.”

The report features firsthand accounts from manufacturers like Westminster Tool, Click Bond, Ketchie, Gentex, Winton Machine, Jamison Door Company and more that transformed tax reform savings into tangible investments in the future, leveraging tax reform to:

• Raise wages and expand benefits;
• Invest in advanced machinery and technology;
• Strengthen R&D and innovation;
• Build new facilities and expand existing ones; and
• Create jobs and economic opportunity in their communities.

“This is a success story we’re proud to share—told through the experiences of manufacturers that delivered on their commitments and backed by research that reinforces what they’ve witnessed firsthand over the past eight years: tax reform worked,” Streeter added. “Congress faces a straightforward choice to make the TCJA’s manufacturing-empowering provisions permanent, or risk undermining the foundation of our economic competitiveness.”

Read the full report and manufacturing success stories from across the country

Learn more about the 51�Թ���’s Manufacturing Wins campaign to protect 2017 tax reform .

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

As manufacturers call on policymakers to preserve tax reform by passing the tax bill, they’re reflecting on everything the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made possible for the industry.

Back in 2017 and 2018, the 51�Թ��� told manufacturers’ stories of hiring more workers and increasing wages, making new investments and buying new equipment, expanding facilities and strengthening R&D, in an influential series of articles called “Keeping Our Promises.” Today, the 51�Թ��� released a showing where those companies are now because of the TCJA—and how much they have grown and succeeded in the eight years since the landmark legislation.

Their stories: The report features many small manufacturers that found tax reform to be transformative, including Westminster Tool, Click Bond, Ketchie, Gentex, Winton Machine, Jamison Door Company and more.

• To take one example, Westminster Tool, a small Connecticut company that designs and creates plastic injection molds for the medical, aerospace and consumer products industries, was able to hire more than a dozen workers, growing its workforce by nearly 30%.
• Click Bond, a small manufacturer of aerospace and defense assembly solutions, was able to review its pay scales and increase both hourly and supervisory workers’ wages, which has helped it compete better in the labor market and keep pace with inflation.

The 51�Թ��� says: “The evidence is clear: manufacturing had its best job creation in more than two decades, the strongest wage growth in 15 years and significant investment in capital equipment after the passage of the TCJA in 2017,” said 51�Թ��� Executive Vice President Erin Streeter.

• “But several of these tax provisions have expired already—and the rest are scheduled to sunset at the end of this year—putting at risk 6 million American jobs, more than $500 billion in wages and benefits and more than $1 trillion in GDP.”

The bottom line: “Tax reform worked,” Streeter emphasized.

• “Congress faces a straightforward choice to make the TCJA’s manufacturing-empowering provisions permanent, or risk undermining the foundation of our economic competitiveness.”

51�Թ��� in the news: POLITICO Pro’s Morning Tax newsletter (subscription) the report this morning.

• Later, the White House’s rapid response account on X (formerly Twitter) the report and the 51�Թ���’s  multiple times.

If the administration wants manufacturing in the U.S. to succeed, it needs a planned strategy—one that includes extending the pro-growth provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and gets the tax bill containing most of President Trump’s legislative agenda passed quickly. That was the from 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons on Fox Business’ “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” last week.

What’s going on: “Manufacturers were very excited that we had a new president in January who said, ‘We’re going to get this … [tax] bill done. We’re going to extend the cuts from 2017,’” Timmons told show host Maria Bartiromo on May 30 on location at the 2025 Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, California. “But now we have the uncertainty … that really requires this bill to be done as soon as possible. It’s urgent now.”

• The Senate returned this week from its Memorial Day recess with the legislative agenda as its top priority.
• The GOP hopes to extend the TCJA tax cuts permanently, while Democrats want the nonpartisan parliamentarian of the United States to determine whether an extension without an end date would violate the .

Why it’s important: More than 85% of manufacturers in the U.S. say Congress must preserve the TCJA’s provisions in response to trade uncertainty, according to the 51�Թ���’s latest , which Bartiromo cited.

• At risk if it doesn’t preserve the measures: some 6 million jobs and a $1 trillion economic hit.

Certainty on trade: But more is needed, Timmons said.

• The trillions of dollars in U.S. investments secured recently by the administration are definite wins—but only “as long as we have that strategy in place,” which, in addition to sound tax policy, includes regulatory certainty.
• “Trade is going to be critical,” Timmons told Bartiromo. “We need to have the certainty around whatever the rules of the game are regarding our trading practices and the work we do with our trading partners, because if we don’t have the right policies in place, and imports do end up costing us a lot of money for critical inputs for manufacturing, we can’t build those facilities.”
• For every dollar of manufactured inputs imported to the U.S., “we get $1.40 of output,” Timmons went on. “And so if we tariff everything the same, we may be in a little bit of trouble when it comes to making those investments.”

The latest resources for the 51�Թ���’s tax campaign may be found on the “” webpage.

Washington, D.C. – The 51�Թ��� released its Q2 2025 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, revealing that optimism among manufacturers across the country has dropped sharply. Only 55.4% of respondents report a positive outlook for their companies—a nearly 15-percentage-point drop from Q1 and the lowest level since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Q2 of 2020.

The survey conducted earlier this month revealed that 85.4% of manufacturers believe Congress should preserve pro-growth tax policies in response to trade uncertainty.

Trade uncertainty remained the top business concern for the second consecutive quarter, cited by 77.0% of respondents, followed by increased raw material costs, which was cited by 66.1% of respondents.

“These numbers are yet another indicator that manufacturers need increased policy certainty. Congress must act urgently to preserve tax reform and empower manufacturers to make the long-term investments that drive the American economy,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The stakes are high: preserving tax reform will prevent the loss of 6 million jobs and avoid a $1 trillion hit to the economy—that’s why manufacturers are calling on the Senate to preserve pro-manufacturing tax policies from the House-passed reconciliation bill, while also taking steps to ensure the final package is maximally beneficial for our industry. Pro-manufacturing tax policies are a critical component of a comprehensive manufacturing strategy; this quarter’s results also show that manufacturers need a strategic approach to trade policy that allows our industry to reduce costs and access the inputs we need to make things in America.”

The 51�Թ��� releases these results to the public each quarter. Further information on the survey is available here.

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector rese arch and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

The 51�Թ���’s Q2 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, released today, that manufacturers’ optimism about the future is dropping precipitously.

The headline number: Only 55.4% of respondents report a positive outlook for their companies—a nearly 15-percentage-point drop from Q1 and the lowest level since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Q2 of 2020.

• Manufacturers do have a prescription for renewed confidence, however, as 85.4% of respondents believe Congress should preserve pro-growth tax policies in response to trade uncertainty.

Worried about trade: Trade uncertainty remained the top business concern for the second consecutive quarter, cited by 77.0% of respondents.

• Almost as alarming is the increase in raw material costs, which was cited by 66.1% of respondents.

The 51�Թ��� says: “These numbers are yet another indicator that manufacturers need increased policy certainty. Congress must act urgently to preserve tax reform and empower manufacturers to make the long-term investments that drive the American economy,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons.

• “The stakes are high: preserving tax reform will prevent the loss of and avoid a $1 trillion hit to the economy—that’s why manufacturers are calling on the Senate to preserve pro-manufacturing tax policies from the House-passed reconciliation bill, while also taking steps to ensure the final package is maximally beneficial for our industry.”
• “Pro-manufacturing tax policies are a critical component of a comprehensive manufacturing strategy; this quarter’s results also show that manufacturers need a strategic approach to trade policy that allows our industry to reduce costs and access the inputs we need to make things in America.”

Washington, D.C. – Following House passage of H.R.1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons issued the following statement:

“Today’s House passage of this historic legislation marks a major victory for manufacturers across America. This pro-growth legislation preserves crucial tax policies that will enable manufacturers to create jobs, invest in their communities, grow here at home and compete globally. In short, this is a manufacturers’ bill.

“Manufacturers commend House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and the House for advancing this critical legislation, and we urge the Senate to act swiftly to build on this momentum.

“The stakes are high: preserving tax reform will prevent the loss of 6 million jobs and avoid a $1 trillion hit to the economy. Manufacturers urge the Senate to maintain the pro-manufacturing policies in the House bill while continuing to work with manufacturers to ensure the final package is maximally effective at supporting manufacturing investment here in the U.S.

“This is a pivotal moment. It’s time to double down on policies that encourage manufacturers to invest and create jobs in America and keep our industry strong and our nation competitive on the world stage—because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

Background:

To preserve a pro-manufacturing, pro-growth tax code, the House reconciliation bill approved today would:

• Increase the pass-through deduction for small and medium-sized manufacturers and make this important deduction permanent, freeing up capital for businesses to invest and create jobs;
• Make permanent the competitive individual tax rates established by tax reform, benefiting the 96% of manufacturers organized as pass-throughs that pay tax at these rates;
• Increase and make permanent tax reform’s estate tax exemption, protecting more family-owned manufacturers’ assets from the estate tax;
• Reinstate immediate R&D expensing, reducing the costs of groundbreaking research and supporting innovation across our sector;
• Revive full expensing for capital equipment purchases, enabling manufacturers to purchase new machinery and expand their shop floors;
• Restore a pro-growth interest deductibility standard, enhancing manufacturers’ ability to pursue job-creating projects;
• Create an incentive for manufacturers’ investments in new and refurbished facilities, supporting factory construction here in the U.S.;
• Preserve tax reform’s international tax system by making the FDII, GILTI and BEAT regimes permanent, enhancing America’s competitiveness on the world stage; and
• Protect the 21% corporate tax rate, ensuring America remains the best place for manufacturing investment and job creation.

The 51�Թ��� recently launched a featuring small and medium-sized manufacturers from across the country thanking Chairman Smith and the whole committee for championing the policies in the bill most critical to the manufacturing industry.

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

Key House Committees this week advanced pro-manufacturing provisions that will make up the “one big, beautiful bill” that President Trump and House Republicans are advancing through the congressional reconciliation process—bringing the package another step closer to a vote.

What’s going on: The House Ways and Means Committee legislation to make permanent crucial tax measures from the 2017 tax reform bill, while the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill with much-needed permitting reform and energy provisions.

51�Թ��� in the driver’s seat: The 51�Թ��� has been leading the campaign to extend and make permanent pro-manufacturing tax policies. Each of the 51�Թ���’s tax priorities was included in the legislation approved by the Ways and Means Committee—along with additional pro-manufacturing provisions. In advance of the markup, the 51�Թ��� that the bill “will protect manufacturers from devastating tax increases and empower the industry to invest, grow and create jobs here in the United States.”

• Manufacturers were top of mind for policymakers during the session. In his opening statement, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) the testimony of Courtney Silver—president and owner of North Carolina–based family-owned precision machining firm Ketchie and a member of the 51�Թ��� Executive Committee—as an example of the benefits of the 2017 tax reform.

Ways and Means: 51�Թ��� priorities featured in the Ways and Means bill include:

• Tax certainty for small and family-owned manufacturers, including a permanent increase in the pass-through deduction and permanent individual tax rates and protections from the estate tax;
• Revived investment and innovation incentives for R&D, capital equipment purchases and debt financing, with additional support for small and medium-sized manufacturers and a new incentive for factory construction and refurbishment; and
• The preservation of the corporate tax rate and tax reform’s international tax system.

Ahead of the successful markup of the tax legislation, the 51�Թ��� emphasized that failing to preserve these provisions “will cost the U.S. economy nearly 6 million jobs.”

Energy and Commerce: The 51�Թ���’s priorities were also front and center at a markup of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the health, energy and technology provisions in the reconciliation package. The 51�Թ��� support for several key manufacturing priorities in the legislation, including:

• Pharmacy benefit manager reforms that will increase transparency and prevent PBMs from driving up health care costs for manufacturing workers;
• Permitting reforms that will allow for the buildout of much-needed pipeline and energy transportation infrastructure; and
• Provisions to rebalance burdensome environmental regulations that have harmed manufacturers’ ability to grow.

The 51�Թ��� also welcomed the committee’s recognition that regulations should support manufacturers’ development and use of artificial intelligence—rather than slowing progress via “a patchwork of divergent state laws and regulations.”

How to add more rocket fuel: The 51�Թ��� also offered suggestions to improve the bills, highlighting potentially harmful changes to strategic manufacturing incentives in the tax code—including ending the hydrogen production tax credit, imposing overly harsh restrictions on manufacturing and energy production regarding foreign sourcing and licensing which will keep manufacturers from bringing back supply chains and know-how to America, and ending credit transferability—as well as a provision targeting foreign headquartered manufacturers investing in the U.S.

• The 51�Թ��� emphasized that manufacturers have used these targeted energy and manufacturing incentives to invest billions and employ thousands across the country.

What’s next: The committees’ bills will now be combined by the House Budget Committee in advance of a House floor vote in the coming weeks.

The bottom line: 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons   the importance of this bill on NewsNation this morning. “If we really want to supercharge our economy and provide the rocket fuel that the president’s talked about in the past … [We have] to get [these tax provisions] reenacted. … [The] longer we wait, the harder it is for businesses to make decisions based on tax policy for 2026, so we want to see Congress move this really expeditiously so we can plan for investment and job creation in the next few years, too.”

• “[T]he priorities I believe that we all need to embrace are making sure that we are investing in creating new facilities for manufacturing, growing jobs and, most importantly, growing wages. That leads to a much more productive and successful society.”
• “There are some things that the House didn’t do that we hope the Senate does to ensure that we have the ongoing investments for energy infrastructure and other energy projects here in the United States,” he added.
• Policymakers’ main priority should be “policies [that] encourage businesses to invest here, to make it possible for them to invest here and to create jobs here,” he concluded.