ManufactureThis readers with great memories may recall the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) panel at Netroots this past June.

AAM included Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) on the panel, which focused on Apple’s Chinese-made iPhones and iPads.

Congressman Cicilline introduced the audience to the House Democrats’ “Make it in America” initiative, a plan that includes Cicilline’s ‘Block Grant Act’:

Provides small and medium sized manufacturers with the resources they need to retool their operations and train their workforce in order to transition to the manufacturing of clean energy, high technology, and advanced products.

This week, the Brookings Institution released a report, written by governance studies fellow, John Hudak, which takes a critical look at Cicilline’s block grant proposal and offers recommendations to help the legislative progress.

Brookings cited AAM’s recent poll as part of the reason why plans like Cicilline’s are important:

Americans want to see action to help struggling manufacturers. A recent survey by the American Alliance for Manufacturing showed that 53percent of those polled rated manufacturing as the most important sector of the economy and noted that a large majority of Americans want assistance provided. The Block Grant Program offers a critical, cost-effective, common sense solution to this serious economic problem. Economic recovery in the United States depends on a thriving, healthy manufacturing sector and resources must be targeted achieve that goal.

To read more about the report click here, or to download the report click here.

AAM file photo of Congressman Cicilline on Netroots panel.