Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Following the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent rulemaking regarding limitations on emissions of ethylene oxide, National Association of Manufacturers Managing Vice President of Policy Chris Netram released the following statement:

“While the EPA listened to some of manufacturers’ concerns, such as allowing more time for companies throughout the supply chain to assess the impact on their operations, the rulemaking adds to the ongoing regulatory onslaught our industry has been facing.

“The agency’s decision to maintain the fenceline monitoring schedule at every five days for ethylene oxide creates a significant compliance burden for manufacturers, and the rule’s mandate that operations are completely shut down when small repairs are required will impact manufacturers’ ability to maintain consistent operations. The potential disruption to supply chains could make it more difficult to create jobs in communities across the country.”

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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.89 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C.: Following the release of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s recent rulemaking on the Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process, National Association of Manufacturers Chief Legal Officer Linda Kelly released the following statement:

“Today’s rule does nothing to advance OSHA’s mission of ensuring safe working conditions. Forcing businesses to accommodate third parties with no safety expertise in their facilities infringes on employers’ property rights, invites new liabilities and introduces elements of chaos and disruption to safety inspections.

“By unlawfully expanding third-party access to manufacturers’ worksites, this proposal clearly violates OSHA’s statutory mandate to conduct inspections within ‘reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner’ with ‘minimum burden’ on employers, and potentially violates manufacturers’ constitutional rights. And, for the first time, OSHA would determine who qualifies as an ‘authorized representative’ of employees, which until now has been exclusively recognized as the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board.

“This is another clear example of the federal regulatory onslaught—a proposal that upends settled precedent and ignores the reasoned decision-making required by the Administrative Procedure Act. For these reasons, the NAM will be considering legal action to reverse this incredibly destabilizing decision.”

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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. –  Following the Environmental Protection Agency’s release of new automobile emissions standards, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“Auto manufacturers in America make enormous investments to both improve the efficiency of their vehicles and provide numerous options for consumers. While it is clear the EPA listened to manufacturers’ concerns about the timeline of this rule, challenges still lie ahead. Successful implementation of this policy will still require congressional action on the permitting reforms needed to build the charging infrastructure to support this transition. That includes the ramping up of electricity production and developing a reliable domestic supply of critical minerals.

“Manufacturers will continue to engage with EPA Administrator Regan and President Biden as a more realistic standard is needed to harmonize this rule with other regulations governing vehicle emissions so that we can grow the sector in the United States.”

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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Houston, Texas – The National Association of Manufacturers released the results of a new poll today showing bipartisan opposition to the Department of Energy’s freeze on export permits for new liquified natural gas projects. Respondents also strongly believe that the United States should pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which includes supporting our global allies by providing cleaner, American-produced natural gas.

“The American public agrees: LNG exports are critical to U.S. energy security, creating well-paying jobs and supporting our allies in Europe and Asia. This poll underscores the need for President Biden to immediately direct the Department of Energy to roll back this misguided and counterproductive policy,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “President Biden’s manufacturing legacy is at risk if the DOE and other federal agencies continue to act in direct contradiction to the stated goals of the president and the American people of bolstering manufacturing competitiveness in the U.S.”

The NAM analytics team conducted the poll March 15–18 and collected 1,000 responses from a nationwide sample of registered voters.

Key Findings:

• 87% of respondents agree the U.S. should continue to export natural gas.
• 76% of respondents agree with building more energy infrastructure, such as port terminals, here in the U.S.
• 74% of respondents agree with boosting production of domestic oil and natural gas in the U.S. instead of depending heavily on foreign energy sources.
• 72% of respondents prefer that American energy policy use an all-of-the-above strategy that includes oil and natural gas and renewable energy sources.
• 86% of respondents agree that we should change the permitting system so it doesn’t take so long for new energy infrastructure projects to be approved.

Background: On Jan. 26, the DOE announced a freeze on export permits for new LNG projects. Europe is the primary destination for U.S. LNG, accounting for 67% of total exports in the first six months of 2023. According to the DOE, Russian natural gas exports have 40% more global warming potential than U.S. LNG across 20 years. Russian gas also had 20% more global warming potential than European coal.

Read the full poll results here.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – Following a press conference today in which Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) called for pharmacy benefit manager reform, National Association of Manufacturers Managing Vice President of Policy Chris Netram released the following statement:

“Manufacturers stand with Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo in their calls for PBM reform as soon as possible. Manufacturers are committed to providing health benefits—with 93% of manufacturing workers eligible for employer sponsored health insurance—even as PBMs continue to drive an increase in health care costs. PBM reform, including in the commercial health insurance market, must increase transparency, ensure PBMs do not pocket manufacturer rebates and delink PBM compensation from the list price of medications.”

Background:

• As part of efforts to reduce health care costs for manufacturers and manufacturing workers, the NAM has advocated PBM reform consistently, including in the commercial health insurance market.
• PBMs increase health care costs at the expense of manufacturers and manufacturing workers by applying upward pressure to list prices that dictate what patients pay at the pharmacy counter, pocketing biopharmaceutical manufacturer rebates and failing to provide adequate transparency about their business models.
• The NAM supports reforms that will benefit employers by making PBM contracts more straightforward, transparent and predictable and workers by reducing the prices they pay out of pocket for their prescriptions.
• Last year, the NAM launched a six-figure television and digital advertising campaign calling for reforms to ensure PBMs pass on prescription drug discounts directly to workers and employers.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – Following President Biden’s State of the Union address, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“Tonight, President Biden celebrated manufacturing’s accomplishments during his presidency, and rightly so. He signed into law some of the most consequential pro-manufacturing legislation in recent years—the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and even key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. What’s more, manufacturers have stood proudly with him in his efforts to champion democracy abroad, most notably in Ukraine, and to reach solutions to address our broken immigration system. These are urgent priorities on which Congress should heed his call and act swiftly.

“But President Biden missed the mark tonight in several key areas when he laid out his plans going forward. If the cost of manufacturing in America is driven up by his agencies’ continued regulatory onslaught and a successful push to raise taxes, investment will be driven overseas and Americans will be driven out of work. If his campaign to ‘march-in’ to manufacturers and seize their intellectual property advances, it will rob Americans and the world of future cures and chill research into new breakthroughs across the manufacturing industry. And if President Biden continues to heap blame on pharmaceutical manufacturers, rather than reining in pharmacy benefit managers with cost-saving reforms, Americans and their employers will continue to endure rising health care costs.

“President Biden and Congress have a choice to make: they can take bipartisan action on the priorities manufacturers have outlined in our ‘Competing to Win’ agenda, an agenda that will unquestionably lift the quality of life for all Americans, or they can retreat to partisan corners and put our future in jeopardy.

“The president spoke passionately tonight about protecting democracy and our way of life at home and around the world. Manufacturers share a profound commitment to democracy and to the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong—free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity. And one of the surest ways to restore faith in democracy is for both parties to work together and prove that this experiment still works—by delivering smart policies for the American people and by bolstering the industry that is the backbone of our economy and improves lives for all.”

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – Following the release of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s final rule instituting new climate disclosure requirements for public companies, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“Nearly two years ago, the SEC proposed an overreaching, unworkable climate disclosure mandate that would have curtailed manufacturers’ ability to invest in our communities and hire workers our sector desperately needs—by imposing tremendous compliance costs that would have spread beyond public companies to manufacturers of all sizes, especially small and family-owned businesses.

“The NAM demonstrated for the SEC the practical realities of such a sweeping proposed rule, encouraging the SEC to make significant changes to remove inflexible and infeasible mandates, require disclosure only of material information and protect small manufacturers from the impact of these requirements. Among other critical issues, the NAM called on the SEC to remove the rule’s onerous and unworkable Scope 3 supply chain emissions reporting mandate—which the SEC has now done.

“The NAM appreciates that the SEC listened to manufacturers across the country who raised their voices back at home, in the halls of Congress and directly with the SEC.

“Still, this rule remains imperfect, and it remains to be seen whether the rule in its entirety is workable for manufacturers. It will impose new burdens on publicly traded companies, at a time when manufacturers already face regulatory costs exceeding $350 billion every year, and it will take considerable time for manufacturers to understand the new reporting requirements and fully come into compliance.

“The NAM remains committed to ensuring the SEC acts within its statutory authority, prioritizes flexibility and provides much-needed guidance—just as we are committed to providing leadership in addressing environmental challenges. This is why the NAM is keeping all options on the table as we evaluate the rule’s potential impacts on the manufacturing sector.”

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Association of Manufacturers joined a coalition of other major business trade associations to file suit in the D.C. Circuit to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s misguided final rule lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to 9 micrograms per cubic meter.

The EPA finalized this provision—a 25% reduction from the current standard effective on a truncated timeline of 60 days—outside of the Clean Air Act’s normal five-year review cycle, becoming the first administration to redo a promulgated NAAQS.

“In pursuing this discretionary reconsideration rule, the EPA should have considered the tremendous costs and burdens of a lower PM2.5 standard,” said NAM Chief Legal Officer Linda Kelly. “Instead, by plowing ahead with a new standard that is vastly more restrictive than any other national standard, including that set by the EU, the agency not only departs significantly from the traditional NAAQS process, but also gravely undermines the Biden administration’s manufacturing agenda—stifling manufacturing investment, infrastructure development and job creation in communities across the country. The NAM Legal Center is filing suit to protect manufacturers’ ability to obtain permits, expand facilities and pursue long-term investment plans, and defend our country’s competitive advantage.”

Background:

• The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to review the NAAQS every five years to determine whether the PM2.5 standard should be retained or revised. The EPA’s revised standard was done in an out-of-cycle reconsideration.
• In December 2020, following a complete review of the PM NAAQS, the EPA decided to retain the PM2.5 standard of 12 micrograms per cubic meter. But in June 2021, the agency announced it would reconsider that decision.
• The NAM submitted comments urging the EPA to maintain the existing standard. The EPA recently reported that PM2.5 concentrations have declined by 42% since 2000, driven by major emissions reductions from both mobile sources and the power sector.
• Notably, the EU standard is currently 25, and a proposal there would be to reach 10 by 2030. The UK has a target of 10 by 2040.
• The EPA itself says that some 70% of particulate matter comes from nonmanufacturing sources, such as wildfires (29%), agriculture and prescribed fires (15%), crop and livestock dust (12%), unpaved road dust (10%), paved road dust (3%) and “dust” (2%).

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers released its Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey for the first quarter of 2024, which reveals that the expiration of federal tax incentives related to R&D, interest deductibility and expensing for capital investments has already caused nearly 40% of respondents to pull back on hiring and investing due to increased taxes.

“Manufacturers’ concerns in this survey should provide a stark warning to both parties ahead of the State of the Union: If you want to continue America’s manufacturing resurgence, focus on constructive policies to strengthen our industry—reinstating key tax provisions, achieving immigration solutions and advancing permitting reform. But if President Biden wants to put his manufacturing legacy at risk, nothing will do that faster than raising taxes on manufacturers or continuing this regulatory onslaught,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons.

The latest data show that two-thirds (65.5%) of manufacturers said that rules coming from the Biden administration will be costly to implement. Additionally, amid the regulatory onslaught, concern about the overall business climate was elevated and not far from levels last seen at the end of 2016.

“President Biden and Sen. Britt will opine on their parties’ respective priorities, many of which manufacturers share. But actions speak louder than words. Congressional inaction and the stream of senseless regulations from the EPA and elsewhere are creating greater uncertainty for businesses, which hurts manufacturers’ ability to create jobs and raise wages. All of this is undermining manufacturers’ confidence and has the potential to drive investment away from the United States,” added Timmons. “Our commitment is to work with anyone who will put policy—policy that supports people—ahead of politics, personality or process.”

Overall, 68.7% of respondents felt either somewhat or very positive about their company’s outlook, edging up slightly from 66.2% in the fourth quarter. It was the sixth straight reading below the historical average of 74.8%.

Key Survey Findings:

• Nearly 94% of respondents say that it is important for the federal tax code to help reduce manufacturers’ costs for conducting R&D, accessing capital via business loans and investing in capital equipment purchases, with 58% saying that it is very important.
• The majority of respondents (72.4%) said that the length and complexity of the current permitting reform process affects their investment decisions in various degrees, with 38.9% suggesting that they were extremely or moderately impacted. In survey responses throughout 2023, manufacturers stated that reform to the current system could allow them to hire more workers, expand their business and increase wages and benefits.
• More than 65% of manufacturers cited the inability to attract and retain employees as their top primary challenge.
• An unfavorable business climate (58.9%), rising health care and insurance costs (58.2%) and weaker domestic economy and sales for manufactured products (53.2%) are also impacting manufacturing optimism.

You can learn more at the NAM’s online tax action center here.

The NAM releases these results to the public each quarter. Further information on the survey is available here.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – Following the completion of the 13th World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi, at which WTO members chose not to expand the agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights waiver to include diagnostics and therapeutics, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“Global leaders at the WTO heard manufacturers’ stark warnings that an expansion of the TRIPS waiver would have endangered manufacturers’ fundamental ability to fight global crises, including COVID-19. Granting this waiver also would have emboldened our global competitors, chipped away at American innovation and jeopardized our ability to fight future diseases. After years of NAM advocacy, this decision represents a major victory for manufacturers—particularly those hard at work developing lifesaving cures and treatments. We appreciate President Biden and Ambassador Tai’s leadership to secure this outcome.”

The NAM led advocacy efforts to alert policymakers to the danger of an expanded TRIPS waiver, weighing in directly with the Biden administration, members of Congress, foreign governments and business organizations and urging Washington to stand with manufacturers. Timmons also took this message directly to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during a March 2023 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Another welcome action was WTO members’ decision to expand the moratorium on e-commerce tariffs,” Timmons added. “The e-commerce moratorium has enabled the digital economy to flourish, and the NAM urges U.S. trade officials to push for permanently instituting the moratorium at the WTO, so that this critical element of digital commerce doesn’t come with an expiration date.”

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.85 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.