NAM’s Timmons expects new Congress to seek consensus
“Tuesday’s election upheaval should be seen not as a radical shift to the political left, but rather an expression of widespread frustration,” said Jay Timmons, senior vice president for policy and government relations of NAM. “I believe Rep. Nancy Pelosi will assume the House Speaker’s gavel with a determination to deliver results for the American people to enable her party to govern beyond two years. To do that, I anticipate she and her leadership team will bring nontraditional allies together to forge consensus on key issues, and that will include the business community.”
Timmons acknowledged that manufacturing lost many stalwart friends in the elections, many of whom have won the NAM’s Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence, and that their support will be missed. “We extend our thanks to them,” Timmons said, “but the voters have spoken. We are optimistic that the incoming legislators share our interest in strengthening the U.S. economy and creating more jobs. During the campaigns, most clearly staked out their positions in the political center, not the extreme. We will welcome them to Washington and seek to work with them.
“Sometimes a new Congress creates fresh opportunities for positive legislation if only because the new legislators bring with them a fresh attitude,” Timmons continued. “The importance of manufacturing to our country transcends political considerations. The American people have made it clear they are weary of the negative tone of public discourse in Washington that prevents action on important issues.”
Timmons said the NAM will work aggressively with the lame-duck Congress for action on long overdue legislation %%MDASSML%% particularly development of OCS natural gas resources and renewal of the research and development tax credit. “These are things that should have been done long ago,” he said.
“Come January, we will work with the 110th Congress under the assumption that the new Congressional leaders want to build a successful track record,” Timmons said. “We can put partisanship aside and work together for economic growth. If we do, much can be accomplished for America’s manufacturing economy and the 14 million employees who work there.”
- Events & Awards
- Magazine Archives
- Oil & Gas Engineering
- Supplements
- Salary Survey
- Blogs
- Digital Reports
- Survey Prize Winners
- CFE Edu
Annual Salary Survey
Before the calendar turned, 2016 already had the makings of a pivotal year for manufacturing, and for the world.
There were the big events for the year, including the United States as Partner Country at Hannover Messe in April and the 2016 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September. There's also the matter of the U.S. presidential elections in November, which promise to shape policy in manufacturing for years to come.
But the year started with global economic turmoil, as a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing triggered a worldwide stock hiccup that sent values plummeting. The continued plunge in world oil prices has resulted in a slowdown in exploration and, by extension, the manufacture of exploration equipment.
Read more: 2015 Salary Survey
