In an address to the Middle Class Task Force in December, Vice President Joe Biden announced the Obama Administration’s Framework for Revitalizing American Manufacturing, which introduces the steps the government and manufacturers must take together to create a renewed commitment to producing goods in the United States.
Manufacturing, which provides jobs to the middle class, is a critical aspect of creating a strong 21st century economy that works for everyone, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in her opening remarks at the Dec. 16, 2009, meeting, which was made available for public viewing on the government website www.whitehouse.gov. To that end, she said, over the next few months, the government will roll out $500 million in green job training grants from the Recovery Act put into place last February.
“We are paving the way for America to become a leader in the manufacturing of green and innovative products,” Solis said. “Now is the time for America to seize the opportunity for a clean energy economy.”
To that end, the framework outlines seven areas that require attention: labor and workforce skills; technology and business practices related to intellectual capital; the cost of equipment and manufacturers’ ability to access funds; the location of land and buildings for manufacturing; transportation infrastructure for moving goods; access to markets both domestically and internationally; and general regulatory and tax policies, including how to tax and regulate energy, greenhouse gases, and other pollutants.