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Washington, D.C. – The 51�Թ��� released a study on the damaging effects of proposed changes by the administration to the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income regime under consideration. The analysis, prepared by EY’s Quantitative Economics and Statistics (QUEST) group, finds that the proposed rate increase, expansion of amounts subject to tax and changes to the method of calculation would have a destructive effect on U.S. employment and economic growth.

“Policymakers should want the next manufacturing dollar spent right here in America. But these proposed tax changes would reduce investment and lead to job losses in the United States, harming manufacturers and manufacturing workers,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “In a global economy, U.S. and foreign business activity is interconnected, and we should be doing everything we can to level the playing field, not tilt it against manufacturers in America who are leading our post-pandemic recovery.”

Key findings on the reduction in U.S. jobs and investment:

• The proposed changes to GILTI would reduce domestic employment of globally engaged U.S. firms by between 500,000 and 1 million lost jobs.
• The proposed changes to GILTI would reduce domestic investment of globally engaged U.S. firms by between $10 billion and $20 billion.

Read “Estimated impacts of proposed changes to GILTI provision on US domestic economic activity” here.

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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 more than 12.3 million men and women, contributes $2.35 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 58% 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 www.nam.org.

While Americans have largely focused in recent months on the recovery and renewal of our domestic economy, manufacturers also recognize the critical importance of global markets for their success. That makes trade agreements incredibly important—and underscores the urgency of renewing Trade Promotion Authority, a current focus of the 51�Թ���.

We recently spoke to 51�Թ��� Vice President of International Economic Affairs Ken Monahan about this essential issue.

What it is: Trade Promotion Authority is a legislative framework between Congress and the executive branch that details the priorities and consultative process for U.S. trade negotiations. Essentially, said Monahan, Congress lays out its trade negotiation objectives and oversight obligations in TPA legislation, and in exchange, the president is able to negotiate trade agreements that will ultimately receive an up or down vote in Congress.

Why it matters: TPA can help ensure that new trade deals will reflect the priorities of manufacturers in the United States, said Monahan. With 95% of consumers living outside U.S. borders, and with more than 6 million U.S. manufacturing jobs depending on exports, trade agreements are needed to give manufacturers access to other markets on the right terms.

• “From a business perspective, having a TPA that reflects the priorities of manufacturers on the front end is vitally important,” said Monahan. “We are urging the Biden administration to prioritize a robust trade agenda that will open markets with countries with which we don’t already have agreements.”
• “We’re rightly focused on the domestic market, including through our support for the infrastructure package moving through Congress, but manufacturers also need to be able to compete overseas and access markets around the world.”

Where we are: To date, the Biden administration hasn’t detailed a strategy for the negotiation of new trade agreements. TPA was last passed by Congress in 2015, but that authority expired at the end of June.

What manufacturers want: Last year, the 51�Թ��� manufacturers’ priorities for trade agreements in comments submitted to the U.S. International Trade Commission. “In broad strokes, manufacturers want four things with respect to trade agreements,” said Monahan.

• “First, reverse unfair trade barriers that impede our ability to export.”
• “Second, protect intellectual property through technology leadership and innovation.”
• “Third, raise global standards to ensure a level playing field and ensure that other countries have standards that are consistent with ours.”
• “And fourth, codify respect for the rule of law and the pivotal role of free markets around the world.”

What the 51�Թ��� is doing: The 51�Թ��� has been leading the charge on TPA, ramping up engagements in recent weeks with members of Congress and the Biden administration. Most recently, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons President Biden to work with Congress without delay to renew TPA.

The last word: “The United States needs to be back in the game,” said Monahan. “Our trading partners are negotiating agreements among themselves that are excluding the United States. Manufacturers need to access new markets. We need more exports that support good-paying jobs. And in order to accomplish that, we need to get off the sidelines and negotiate new trade agreements that will support growth here at home by reducing barriers faced by manufacturers around the world.”

Washington, D.C. – Following U.S. Senate passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released this statement:

“The Senate’s passage of this historic, bipartisan legislation is a tremendous achievement and a credit to President Biden and the group of senators who met across the aisle to address our country’s longstanding infrastructure needs. This is the type of infrastructure investment manufacturers have long championed, and the bipartisan approach shows that our legislators can indeed still come together to accomplish transformational change. We now urge members of the House to follow the Senate’s example, pass this bipartisan bill and send it to the president’s desk for his signature without delay.

“The more than 12 million men and women of manufacturing are counting on Congress to get this done—because it will renew and revitalize our nation’s physical infrastructure, improving productivity and quality of life for everybody, without erasing the tax reforms that helped manufacturers keep our promises to innovate, hire more employees, raise wages and benefits and reinvest in communities.

“The 51�Թ��� has led the charge for historic investments in infrastructure for years, as outlined in our infrastructure blueprint, ‘Building to Win,’ and many of its recommendations are in the final Senate bill. The bill also includes a range of actions that the 51�Թ��� calls for in our climate policy plan, ‘The Promise Ahead,’ along with many of the 51�Թ���’s supply chain and permitting goals, which are laid out in ‘Strengthening the Manufacturing Supply Chain.’

“With world-class infrastructure enhancing our competitiveness, manufacturers will be better prepared to help build an economy that lifts up all Americans and enables us to lead through this century and into the next.”

Find a list of key 51�Թ��� priorities in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act here.

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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 more than 12.3 million men and women, contributes $2.35 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 63% 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 www.nam.org

Washington, D.C. – Following the announcement of the budget resolution introduced today, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons issued this statement.

“Budget resolutions are a statement of principles from the majority party and the beginning of a lengthy process. And while leaders may seek to achieve many laudable goals through this process, manufacturers have serious concerns that some of the proposals—chiefly, the possibility of rolling back job-creating tax reforms to meet the tax increase revenue projections—would be devastating for America’s manufacturing workers.

“The primary goal here should be building an opportunity society, in which all Americans can pursue their dreams. It needs to create good jobs and maintain a strong social safety net. That means upholding the values that have long made America exceptional—free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.

“Returning to the archaic tax policies of the past, however, does not foster an opportunity society. It will stifle job creation in America. It would restrain America’s job creators from continuing to lead our economic recovery—including the manufacturers who have worked tirelessly to support our country through the pandemic. As many as 1 million American jobs would be lost in just the first two years if these kinds of tax policies were adopted, depriving Americans of rewarding career opportunities. The goal of our nation’s leaders should be to make the tax code more competitive, not less. Manufacturers kept their promises after the 2017 tax reform law. 2018 was the best year for manufacturing job creation in more than two decades. Wages soared, and manufacturers invested in their people and communities. Why would anyone want to undo that progress?

“Manufacturers are also concerned by indications there will be efforts and proposals that would restrict the ability of lifesaving pharmaceutical manufacturers to drive innovation in the United States. And we would also oppose attempts that have been mentioned to impose the anti-worker PRO Act because such actions would harm the productive relationship that so many manufacturing workers and employers have cultivated. They would rob many of their right to work, deny them the ability to communicate freely, invade their privacy and even force them to pay union dues.

“This is not how we build an economy that works for everyone. This is how we short-circuit an economic recovery and give other countries a competitive edge. The bipartisan infrastructure bill would be a giant step forward for our country, but a successful effort to roll back tax reforms would be a bigger step backward.

“Many Americans feel left behind today. Some feel left behind amid the pandemic-induced economic turmoil, others because they sensed the system didn’t work for them even before the pandemic. Lawmakers must continue working to lift up all Americans and build a true opportunity society. In the judgment of manufacturers in America, this resolution and the stated intentions of those who are drafting it do not achieve that worthy objective.”

Background on the manufacturing sector under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:

• Between the enactment of tax reform and the start of COVID-19, the manufacturing industry saw jobs, wages and investments surge.
  • In 2018, manufacturers added 263,000 new jobs. That was the best year for job creation in manufacturing in 21 years.
  • In 2018, manufacturing wages increased 3% and continued going up by 2.8% in 2019 and by 3% in 2020. Those were the fastest rates of annual growth since 2003.
  • Manufacturing capital spending grew by 4.5% and 5.7% in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
  • Overall, manufacturing production grew 2.7% in 2018, with December 2018 being the best month for manufacturing output since May 2008.

Earlier this year, the 51�Թ��� released a major tax study on the effects of proposed tax increases. That study found that 1 million jobs would be lost in just the first two years if those increases were to be implemented.

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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 more than 12.3 million men and women, contributes $2.35 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 63% 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 www.nam.org

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler said that the agency will release proposed rules by the end of this year requiring that public companies disclose risks related to climate change, according to .

What they’ll cover: Chairman Gensler indicated that he wants climate disclosures to be “consistent and comparable” and provide decision-useful information to investors. He said staff is considering whether such disclosures would be included in companies’ 10-K filings, whether they would include Scope 1, Scope 2 and/or Scope 3 emissions and whether certain metrics would be required for specific industries.

The challenge: Many manufacturers already voluntarily disclose a significant amount of information about their climate efforts, but an overbroad mandate could impose new cost burdens on companies without providing useful information to shareholders.

What we’re doing: The 51�Թ��� has consistently stood up for manufacturers, encouraging the SEC to adopt a principles-based approach rather than a uniform mandate. Back in June, the 51�Թ���  the manufacturing industry’s perspective for the SEC and provided a list of principles that should guide any eventual disclosure framework. As the process moves forward, the 51�Թ��� will continue to engage with the SEC and advocate for manufacturers.

Learn more: For more information about our principles and the work the 51�Թ��� has been doing in this area, check out

Washington, D.C. – Today, following President Joe Biden’s decision to require vaccinations of all federal employees, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“The lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines were made for us, by people like us—manufacturers in the United States. They are proven, safe and the only way we can save lives, end the pandemic and sustain our economic recovery. Since vaccines became available, manufacturers have been leading by example, helping their employees access vaccines and confidently get vaccinated, and we support all efforts to get more Americans vaccinated so we can beat back COVID-19 and the aggressive delta variant and save lives.

“Through our This Is Our Shot project, the 51�Թ��� and The Manufacturing Institute have equipped manufacturers with resources to help their teams get vaccinated and protect their communities—ranging from videos, graphics and vaccine locators to FAQs and in-depth communications guides. On our own team, the 51�Թ��� achieved a voluntary vaccination rate of 98%, and to ensure our staff and those with whom we interact are as safe as possible, we then made the decision to require vaccinations by mid-September.

“Manufacturers will continue to lead by example and work with the administration to promote vaccination and with our employees and communities to provide them the information they need. The recent surge in cases is a reminder that this pandemic is not over, but with these vaccines, it is within our power to dramatically change the trajectory of this virus.”

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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 more than 12.3 million men and women, contributes $2.35 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 63% 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 www.nam.org 

Washington, D.C. – Today, following the Senate’s vote to invoke cloture on the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“This is history in the making, and manufacturers celebrate the leadership of the bipartisan group of senators who, along with President Biden and his administration, got us to this moment. We will continue to work with leaders in both parties to get a final bill passed by Congress and on to President Biden’s desk.

“For many years and across multiple administrations and Congresses, the 51�Թ��� has led the charge for bold, historic infrastructure investment. We’re not done yet, but we’re closer than ever. This bill will not just support our economic recovery; it will provide the foundation for decades of American economic leadership. It will save lives and improve the American quality of life. It will help manufacturers in America compete in the world and create jobs here at home. And it will do all that without rolling back all the tax reforms that have allowed manufacturers to hire more workers, raise wages and benefits and invest in our communities. This is truly how we build to win.

“Manufacturers of all sizes, across this entire country, now call on the Senate and then the House to swiftly pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill—to show the world we plan to lead in the 21st century and into the 22nd and to show the American people that our government can still do great things.”

-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 more than 12.3 million men and women, contributes $2.35 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 63% 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 www.nam.org.

This week, the Senate’s top tax writer, Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the Small Business Tax Fairness Act, which would significantly limit the existing 20% deduction for manufacturers organized as “pass-through” entities.

The background: The 2017 tax reform law created a 20% deduction for business income earned through pass-through entities such as S-corporations or partnerships. The lower tax burden provides manufacturers with additional capital to hire workers, increase wages and expand operations.

• The Small Business Tax Fairness Act, however, would essentially eliminate the pass-through deduction for all but the very smallest of companies by phasing out the deduction for taxpayers with income above $400,000 – completely eliminating it as income reaches $500,000.
• Moreover, the bill would negatively impact family-owned businesses by denying the deduction for business held in trusts and estates.

The 51�Թ���’s view: As the vast majority of manufacturers are small and organized as pass-through entities, phasing out the deduction as proposed under the bill would ultimately hurt the men and women who make things in America.

• The current-law provision links wages with the deduction: the more you pay your workers, the larger the benefit for the manufacturer. The proposal does away with this formula, which would break the important link between wages and the deduction.
• Earlier this year, the 51�Թ��� released a on the effects of proposed tax increases, including a repeal of the pass-through deduction. That study found that one million jobs would be lost in just the first two years if those increases were to be implemented.

The last word: “This pass-through deduction is a critical pro-growth tool enabling manufacturers to hire more workers and grow their operations,” said 51�Թ���’s Senior Director of Tax Policy David Eiselsberg. “Make no mistake, this legislation would amount to a major tax increase and effectively punish manufacturers that are doing the right thing by hiring workers and paying good wages with a higher tax bill.”

Washington, D.C. – 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the failure of the cloture vote on the bipartisan Senate infrastructure legislation.

“Bold, historic infrastructure investment will improve all of our lives, but it is especially critical to the future of manufacturing in America and to the livelihoods of America’s manufacturing workers. Making these investments in a bipartisan way will also help restore faith in our institutions. Of course, such historic achievements are never easy, so lawmakers should keep talking and continue their work. The more than 12 million men and women of the manufacturing workforce have confidence that our elected officials can show Americans and the world that they can lead and that the United States is going to keep moving forward so we can build to win.”

-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 more than 12.3 million men and women, contributes $2.35 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 63% 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 www.nam.org.

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company is a 120-year-old, fifth-generation family-owned business—and it tries to treat its employees like family, too.

“We have a long tradition and history of taking care of our associates,” said Charlotte Pipe Vice President of Marketing Bradford Muller. “We haven’t had a layoff since the early 1980s. Even in the Great Recession, we kept people working as many hours as we could give them.”

When the 2017 tax reform law gave Charlotte Pipe more certainty, the company passed along the good fortune, supporting employees, adding new jobs and investing in the future of the business.

New bonuses: When the legislation passed, Charlotte Pipe gave every employee an additional bonus of $1,000. Over the past few years, it has continued to offer high wages and generous health benefits to its associates as well as contributing to the company’s 401(k) plan. Charlotte Pipe has also absorbed a large portion of the increases in the health care costs of its workers.

New jobs: Tax reform has also allowed Charlotte Pipe to bring on new workers. Since the law passed, the company has hired more than 200 associates as it increases production across the country.

New business: Charlotte Pipe is also investing in its future by building a new foundry, which will create new jobs in its surrounding community. In addition to making the company more efficient and effective, the new cutting-edge foundry will help it keep up with international competitors from places like China. Muller credits tax reform with making that investment possible.

• “The certainty around tax reform and regulatory reform gave us the confidence to be able to proceed with this once-in-a-century, $350 million foundry,” said Muller. “It’s a huge financial commitment, and we needed policy certainty to be able to do that. That was one of the reasons we were able to launch that project.”

Ongoing investment: The foundry may be the biggest example of a capital investment, but it is by no means the only one. In fact, Charlotte Pipe reinvests most of its profits back into the business, allowing it to keep working, innovating and providing new jobs.

• “We reinvest most of our profits into capital projects,” said Muller. “The more revenue we have, the more people we can hire, the more equipment we can buy and the more productive we can be.”

The last word: “When tax reform helps a business provide for its employees and create opportunity well into its second century, you know that reform is worth keeping,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers like Charlotte Pipe are building on the foundation of tax reform, and their workers are prospering because of it. That’s why we need to protect against potentially harmful tax hikes.”