Input Stories

With surface transportation reauthorization set to expire Sept. 30, the NAM today launched “Building to Win,”  a six-figure campaign urging Congress to pass robust infrastructure investments and reauthorize critical federal highway programs.

• The NAM also released a new ad underscoring how infrastructure investment and permitting reform are essential to manufacturing competitiveness.

The roadmap: The NAM unveiled a new infrastructure policy roadmap, pairing original analysis on the real economic costs of congestion for manufacturers with clear, actionable infrastructure policy recommendations.

The pillars: The NAM’s policy roadmap outlines four pillars for a surface transportation reauthorization that will support manufacturing innovation:

• Continuing robust investment levels for federal infrastructure, including by developing long-term solutions for Highway Trust Fund solvency 
• Strengthening supply chains across transportation modes
• Investing in water infrastructure that will support manufacturing growth and public health
• Reforming burdensome permitting laws and regulations to ensure federal infrastructure investments are made efficiently and responsibly

By the numbers: The NAM’s analysis shows the high costs of infrastructure that is not meeting manufacturers’ needs:

• Highway congestion costs manufacturers more than $25 billion annually and results in over 65 million hour delays in freight carrying finished goods and critical input each year.
• More than 2 million hours of annual delays are incurred by manufacturers.
• Containers at container and bulk ports cost manufacturers more than $13 billion annually in carrying costs and demurrage charges.

The NAM says: “Manufacturers need modern, reliable infrastructure to create more jobs, grow our economy and keep America competitive,”  said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. 

• “From roads and bridges to ports and airports, from highways to runways and waterways, 21st-century infrastructure means supply chains that deliver, commutes that work and communities that thrive. That’s why policymakers must act with urgency this year to invest in robust American infrastructure by passing a strong surface transportation reauthorization bill and commonsense, comprehensive permitting reform.” 

In the news: POLITICO’s Weekly Transportation and Influence newsletters (both subscription) broke the news of the NAM’s campaign launch on Monday.