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U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and several members of Congress visited the Ohio facilities of First Solar and Whirlpool last Friday during a tour of manufacturing plants.

Manufacturers’ strength: Following the visit, Greer joined CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” from First Solar’s R&D and manufacturing campus, spotlighting the manufacturers he toured while emphasizing the importance of building up the sector in the U.S.

• “We need people making stuff,” he said. “We need making it here… [W]hen you lose manufacturing, you lose a lot of the economic security you have from having supply chains right here in America.”
• “So we do want these jobs, we want them in these communities. A factory like [First Solar’s] underpins not only the local economy but the families of the people who work here. So obviously we have to have these kinds of jobs.
• “[For] most OECD countries, manufacturing is about 16% of their GDP. In America, [it] is 10%, and that’s too low.”

Rep. Latta says: Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), who attended the tour, said, “When companies like First Solar and Whirlpool invest in expanding American manufacturing, they create good-paying jobs, strengthen our supply chain resilience and help keep our nation competitive in Ohio and across the country.”

News coverage: POLITICO and its Morning Trade newsletter (both subscription) covered the visits.