Senator George Allen (R-VA) has announced the creation of the Senate Economic Competitiveness Caucus to “provide a mechanism for positive action on behalf of American entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and the tech sector, while improving America’s overall competitiveness.”
Allen made his announcement in an address to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) on Friday. “Right now, in Washington, there is a potential coalition of Senators who support these policies as part of a pro-competitiveness agenda,” Allen said. “But it is a sprawling, unorganized coalition that lacks direction and leadership. I aim to change that.”
“Senator Allen has long been a leader on competitiveness issues in the Senate and as Governor of Virginia, and his announcement of the Competitiveness Caucus comes as great news to the nation’s manufacturers,” said NAM President John Engler. “We support every item on this agenda, and will work with Senator Allen and others to make it a reality. The time has come for Congress to recognize the vital role manufacturing plays in American life, and do what it can to strengthen our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
Allen identified nine key areas to comprise the agenda for the Senate Economic Competitiveness Caucus:
• Comprehensive energy legislation – including deepwater exploration for oil and natural gas, clean coal technology, opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and streamlining permitting of nuclear power plants.
• Improved Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to help rein in health care costs.
• More free trade agreements to boost U.S. exports.
• A crackdown on counterfeiting of U.S. products, subsidized exports and currency manipulation.
• Improved education in math and science.
• Making the 2001 tax cuts permanent.
• A strengthened and permanent R&D tax credit.
• More federal funding for science programs and the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships.
• More rapid deployment of domestic broadband.
“Senator Allen has long been a leader on competitiveness issues in the Senate and as Governor of Virginia, and his announcement of the Competitiveness Caucus comes as great news to the nation’s manufacturers,” said NAM President John Engler. “We support every item on this agenda, and will work with Senator Allen and others to make it a reality. The time has come for Congress to recognize the vital role manufacturing plays in American life, and do what it can to strengthen our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”