Washington, D.C. — In testimony before the House Energy & Commerce’s Innovation, Data, and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday, Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul called on the federal government to safeguard America’s economic and national security by fortifying the nation’s domestic supply chains.
Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul said:
“Supply chains are taken for granted when they work perfectly, and can cause widespread damage to our economy, jobs, and national security when they do not.”
He added:
“We must break the vicious cycle of implementing policies that reward imports over domestic production. But the idea is not to build a wall around America or seek autarky. Rather, we must build more domestic capacity in critical manufacturing sectors and consider localization of supply chains a best practice.”
Paul urged the federal government to develop a more complete set of tools and authorities to identify, prevent and mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities.
Paul’s recommendations:
- “The federal government needs a dedicated office with the necessary clout to direct supply chain efforts and to implement a comprehensive and coordinated supply chain strategy.”
- “The federal government should provide coordination for the private sector by creating voluntary standards and best practices that can be used to address supply chain vulnerabilities.”
- “Capitalizing a robust supply chain resiliency fund can provide financial assistance where there is a demonstrated need. At a minimum, Congress should commission an independent study to determine whether grant and loan making authority is warranted.”
These actions are reflected in the Supply Chain Health and Integrity for the Nation’s Success (Supply CHAINS) Act, which Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) introduced earlier this year. You can find Scott Paul’s full oral testimony here and his written testimony here.
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