Competing to Win
Competing to Win
The manufacturers’ blueprint for a stronger America
Manufacturing in the United States unites people of all stripes ? and the Competing to Win agenda can unify the country around a shared purpose. It is the strategic blueprint for the policies manufacturers need to create more jobs, make more products in the United States and build a more resilient, secure and prosperous America. Manufacturers asked Congress to keep its promises ? and from making tax reform permanent in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) to rebalancing regulation, manufacturers are delivering the results.
The principles
What manufacturers stand for
Certainty fuels growth
When manufacturers can count on competitive taxes, predictable rules and reliable supply chains, they hire, raise wages, expand facilities and invest for the future.
Make more in America
Policy should reward investment, innovation and production here at home ? and open markets so products made in America can win everywhere.
Smart rules, real results
Everyone wants clean air, clean water and safe workplaces. Regulation should achieve those goals without holding back the people who build things.
People power manufacturing
Modern manufacturing careers are well-paying and high-tech. Workforce, education, labor and immigration policy should help more Americans seize them.
The agenda
Every issue, one goal: competing to win
Explore each chapter of the agenda ? and the NAM’s full issue pages, where manufacturers’ priorities meet the latest policy action.
Tax
Building on the Promise of Tax Reform
Keeping our promises ? permanently
Manufacturers asked, and Congress delivered: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) made the 2017 reforms permanent. Manufacturers are paying the benefits forward in jobs, wages and investment.
Trade
Trading to Win
Growth without unfair barriers
Manufacturers of all sizes compete in a global economy. Policies that expand market access and secure critical inputs let manufacturers in the United States compete ? and win ? worldwide.
Energy
Energy & Natural Resources
Capitalizing on U.S. energy leadership
Manufacturers use and benefit from all forms of energy while investing to become more efficient. America’s resource security depends on clarity and certainty from policymakers.
Environment
Environment & Sustainability
Cleaner, safer, stronger economies
Everyone wants clean water, clean air, good jobs and a strong economy. With balanced federal policies, manufacturers can keep leading the way the world addresses environmental challenges.
Infrastructure
Transportation & Infrastructure
Building to win
Modern infrastructure keeps products moving and manufacturers operating. Implementing historic investment well ? and keeping supply chains running ? is essential to competitiveness.
Workforce
Workforce & Education
Equipping people for rewarding careers
Access to skilled workers is a defining competitiveness challenge. Workforce policy should put employers at the center of education and training so more people can launch manufacturing careers.
Labor
Labor & Employment
Policies for a 21st-century workforce
The manufacturing shop floor has changed. Modernizing labor and employment rules to match today’s workplaces benefits workers and improves safety outcomes.
Immigration
Immigration
Reform for American competitiveness
America is a nation of immigrants with a broken immigration system. Reforms that balance compassion and security will grow talent, opportunity and the economy.
Health Care
Health Care
Healthy, productive, innovative
Manufacturers lead every industry in offering health coverage ? and cite rising costs as a top business concern. Free-enterprise principles should guide policy so coverage, care and cures stay within reach.
Governance
Corporate Governance
Capital formation, investor protection
Manufacturers depend on public markets to finance growth, and workers rely on them for retirement. Policymakers should rein in unregulated third parties and protect middle-class investors.
Innovation
Research, Innovation & Technology
Powering Manufacturing 4.0
Manufacturers built an innovation engine that reshaped the world. Federal policy must keep up ? prioritizing investment, R&D and the technologies driving modern operations.
Regulation
Regulatory & Legal Reform
Reducing barriers to growth
Smart regulation protects workers, public health and the environment. Rebalancing the nation’s regulatory and legal systems unleashes manufacturers’ full economic potential.
On the road
The agenda goes on tour
Every year the NAM takes Competing to Win directly to shop floors across the country. The 2026 NAM State of Manufacturing Tour ? “Innovation Built America. Manufacturing Wins the Future” ? covered seven states in ten days, from the 13th annual State of Manufacturing Address at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to the Manufacturers’ Accord signing at Carpenters’ Hall and a permitting-reform finale in Phoenix.
Relive the 2026 Tour
Leadership in manufacturing advocacy
Become an NAM Ambassador
The NAM Ambassador Network is a select group of small and medium-sized manufacturers who represent a leading voice on the industry’s priority issues. From telling their story to hosting a member of Congress, NAM Ambassadors are proven change-makers at the core of the Competing to Win campaign.
Join the Network
Read the full agenda
Competing to Win is the detailed roadmap for candidates and elected officials ? the policies manufacturers need to create jobs, make more in America and strengthen the country.
