House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) took to the podium yesterday at the Center for American Progress to discuss “Manufacturing Growth for a Strong Economy.”

Along with Neera Tanden, Counselor, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Hoyer discussed a "Make it in America" bill and emphasized the need to create new manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

Hoyer suggested four different strategies that Congress could take immediately in order to rebuild the U.S. economy:

First is the Bring Jobs Home Act. Sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell, it would eliminate the tax deduction for moving expenses for companies shipping jobs overseas. It would further provide a new credit for companies moving jobs back home.

Congress should pass a Miscellaneous Tariff Bill to eliminate duties on certain products not produced in the United States, particularly raw materials and intermediate inputs that are used by our manufacturers. This will reduce their production costs and help make these manufacturers more competitive.

The third and fourth new items being added to our Make It in America plan will help us close the skills gap and connect more out-of-work Americans with secure and well paying manufacturing jobs. One of them is a reauthorization and modernization of the Workforce Investment Act, sponsored by Rep. John Tierney. The other is Rep. Kathy Hochul’s bill that grants a $1,000 per-student tax credit to employers that partner with colleges and trade schools in order to provide skills training.”

Ending his speech with a bipartisan plug, Hoyer emphasized what the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) and ManufactureThis have always worked for:

Only by working together – not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans – can we rise to meet our challenges. I know we can do it, because we have in the past. And we must do so again.

Many of Congressman Hoyer's recommendations fall in line with AAM's National Manufacturing Plan.

To read the rest of Congressman Hoyer's speech, click here.

This post was written by AAM intern, Leigh Raup.