Stevens Leads Bipartisan Legislation to Reinforce U.S. Supply Chains Against Future Threats

WASHINGTON — This week, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11), along with Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) and U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), introduced the Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will toughen our domestic supply chains and help our economy better withstand future disease outbreaks, cyberattacks, natural disasters, and other emergencies. The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed key vulnerabilities in the U.S. economy,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “I remember calling Mayors and Township Supervisors in my district in the early days of the pandemic who were doing anything and everything in their power to secure personal protective equipment for their communities. Frontline workers, from nurses to grocers, faced similar challenges, while hospitals around the country scrambled to find desperately-needed medical equipment like ventilators. Michigan’s incredible manufacturers stepped up to meet the industrial call to action, and recover our supply chains through their ingenuity and ability to make anything. For the sake of our national security and ability to strengthen Buy American content while avoiding future supply chain disruptions, Congress must pass the Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act, which I am introducing today. By bringing together the leading experts across government, industry, and academia we have the opportunity to enhance our supply chain, play to the tremendous strengths of our nation, and recover from future disruptions.

The Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act (RMTF Act) authorizes $5 million to create a Resilient Supply Chain Task Force, led by the Secretary of Commerce in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy, to identify critical vulnerabilities in U.S. supply chains and lead three new initiatives:

• A National Manufacturing Guard, comprised of industry experts that will be trained to manage the nation’s supply chains, logistics infrastructure, and workforce resources in times of crisis;
• An open source platform which will support the National Manufacturing Guard with real-time, centralized information and run simulations to determine inventory, capacity, and resources on a national scale to prevent bottlenecks of critical supplies and equipment during an emergency to immediately address supply chain needs; and
• a Technology Corps, which will serve as a workforce pipeline that prioritizes manufacturing skills determined by the Resilient Supply Chain Task Force and National Manufacturing Guard to be essential to U.S. economic security.

The RMTF Act uses a public-private partnership approach, convening experts from the federal government, academic and research institutions, labor organizations, Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers, Manufacturing USA institutes, industry consortia and trade groups, and private companies with expertise in manufacturing, logistics, resource management, and workforce development.

This legislation has been endorsed by the American Small Manufacturers Coalition and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

“More so than ever before, the United States must ensure the integrity and strength of our critical supply chains – without relying on foreign actors like China,” said Congressman Balderson. “This legislation will help identify vulnerabilities within our domestic manufacturing supply chains, ensuring the vitality of U.S. resources and infrastructure in the event of future emergencies.”

“One of the things COVID-19 has revealed about our economy is that we are vitally reliant on countries like China for critical supplies – whether it’s medical devices like ventilators or pharmaceuticals,” said Senator Coons. “We have a responsibility to address these vulnerabilities now and build an economy that is better prepared to withstand future threats. This bipartisan, bicameral bill is an important step toward ensuring American manufacturing is resilient and can build back stronger after this recession.”

“The industrial capacity of a nation still matters, and Congress must take action to restore resilience to the American economy,” said Senator Rubio. “The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed significant gaps in American productive capacity, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act to identify vulnerabilities and supply chain risk in U.S. manufacturing and to develop plans to mitigate them. As China continues its pursuit to dominate critical industries and undermine U.S. economic and national security, it is clear that we need a 21st century pro-American industrial policy, and this bipartisan legislation is a significant step towards that effort.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the need for a comprehensive and coordinated effort to boost our domestic manufacturing capacity so that we can more effectively respond to pandemics and other emergencies,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan bill will help to identify and address deficiencies in U.S. supply chains, which in turn can expand job opportunities and strengthen our emergency response capabilities.”

“The coronavirus pandemic has shone a spotlight on the vulnerabilities within our supply chains for everyday goods, lifesaving drugs, and medical equipment,” said Senator Cornyn. “This legislation would ensure we have the resources and infrastructure in place ahead of a future public health emergency.”

Earlier this month, Congresswoman Stevens co-sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to create a National Supply Chain Database run by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers to connect small and mid-size manufacturers nationwide and prevent supply chain disruptions.

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