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The NAM was recently on site for an important stop on Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ (R-IA) “Made in America Manufacturing Tour” of Iowa’s 1st Congressional District: visits to Cemen Tech, Vermeer and SSAB.

What’s going on: NAM Executive Vice President Erin Streeter and Iowa Association of Business and Industry President Nicole Crain joined Rep. Miller-Meeks last month for shop floor tours and discussions at the three Iowa manufacturing facilities.

• Streeter and Crain thanked the congresswoman for her steadfast support of the NAM-backed H.R. 1, with its many wins for manufacturing in the U.S.
• “We appreciate Rep. Miller-Meeks’ longtime support of Iowa manufacturers,” Crain said. “From her service in the Iowa Senate to her work in Congress, she has been a consistent advocate for pro-growth tax policies. … [T]his legislation gives Iowa businesses the stability they need to reinvest in their people and their operations.”
• “Without bold leadership from lawmakers like Rep. Miller-Meeks, manufacturers could have been crippled by the largest tax hike in history—jeopardizing the progress we made after the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” Streeter said.

Why it’s important: NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons has called H.R. 1 “a manufacturers’ law, through and through” for having restored and/or made permanent a number of critical pro-growth tax provisions, including immediate research-and-development expensing, full expensing of capital equipment and interest deductibility.

The effects: In Indianola, Iowa, Cemen Tech, the largest manufacturer of volumetric concrete mixing systems in the world, is seeing the results of the legislation’s passage already.

• Director of Supply Chain Brant Pfantz applauded both the measure and Rep. Miller-Meeks’ role in passing it, saying the law is “not just about giving manufacturers like us certainty but giving our contractors—builders and developers—the certainty to plan for their next projects so we can all build and scale together.”
• And at Pella, Iowa–based industrial and agricultural equipment maker Vermeer Corporation, the law “sets up manufacturers for a generation of continued growth and advancement,” said Vermeer President and CEO and NAM Executive Committee member Jason Andringa during the visit from Rep. Miller-Meeks and the NAM. It “will allow us to continue to deduct expenses related to research and development … [which is] critical if manufacturers are going to continue to push the edge and innovate.” 

“A growth catalyst”: The facilities of steel fabricator SSAB, in Muscatine, Iowa, were the final stop on the tour. There, too, the impact of H.R. 1 is being felt.

• “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will act as a growth catalyst for manufacturing in America. By driving investment, strengthening supply chains and ensuring our workforce has the tools and training to succeed, this law will help SSAB meet growing demand with the most sustainably produced American-made steel,” said SSAB Americas President Chuck Schmitt.

Watch: Check out the NAM’s videos featuring Streeter, Rep. Miller-Meeks and Crain  here, here and  here. 

NAM in the news: Streeter spoke with News/Talk 1540 KXEL about the tour. The Des Moines Register (subscription) and The Gazette also covered the visit.