Small Manufacturer to House Committee: Tax Policy Keeps America Strong and Free

In the lead-up to America’s 250th birthday, one small manufacturer told legislators how much competitive tax policy matters to our nation’s strength, resilience and independence. On July 1, Anne D. Shybunko-Moore, CEO and owner of defense manufacturer GSE Dynamics, spoke to the House Small Business Committee at a hearing titled “250 Years of American Legacy: Small Businesses and the American Dream.” Here’s what she had to say.

A family firm takes flight: Shybunko-Moore discussed how her family business grew out of the Cradle of Aviation on Long Island, New York, and how the area played a pivotal role in the development of the aviation industry and the manufacturing of the Apollo Lunar Module.

• “My father was an engineer [at Grumman] when the company encouraged him to start a small side business in 1971. Eight years later, he left Grumman to run GSE Dynamics full time,” Shybunko-Moore told legislators.
• “And decades after I walked the factory floor as a child, he invited me to join the company in 2001.”
• “In 2003, GSE became a woman-owned small business, and I continued to work beside my dad until his passing in 2019,” she continued.
• “Today, GSE is a top woman-owned supplier for the U.S. military, building complex assemblies for the B-52 bomber, the M1 Abrams tank, naval submarines and more.”

The policy foundation: “As everyone in this room knows, America’s success does not just happen. It must be built. It must be protected. And it must be strengthened,” Shybunko-Moore said.

• “The best investment in manufacturers comes from public policies that help small businesses like mine invest, grow and thrive.”

Tax policy priorities: Shybunko-Moore emphasized the importance of H.R. 1, the landmark tax legislation passed last year that safeguarded crucial pro-growth tax policies, including immediate expensing.

• Thanks to these provisions, “Already this year, we’ve purchased a new 5-axis machining center that will help us build better and faster. We’re also expanding a facility and investing in new research to help keep GSE on the cutting edge,” Shybunko-Moore said.
• As she pointed out, manufacturing is a capital-intensive industry, and a competitive tax policy must help manufacturers invest in equipment and raw materials long before products are made—if America wants those products to exist at all.

The workforce angle: Shybunko-Moore urged policymakers to support workforce development measures, saying, “We must strengthen employer-led workforce training and encourage more young people to see manufacturing as a career of purpose and opportunity.”

Strengthening the defense industrial base: She also advocated for policies that will support America’s defense industrial base, including permitting reform, trade and critical mineral policies that will get manufacturers the inputs they need.

• “To build more resilient supply chains, we need a 21st-century permitting system. We need to protect pro-America, pro-manufacturing trade agreements like the USMCA. And we need more access to key inputs like critical minerals,” Shybunko-Moore said.

The last word: “When I think about America’s 250th anniversary, I think about the chance my father took 50 years ago in a country that rewards risk-takers,” Shybunko-Moore concluded.

• “Fifty years from now, I hope another family business will be here telling its story, or maybe even my son James will be sharing GSE’s next chapter.”
• “That will happen through your courage, and your vision, to back policies that strengthen America’s industrial base.”
• “If our leaders work together, America will lead as the best place in the world to create and make things … and our dreams will take flight.”

More stories: Check out the NAM’s tax policy advocacy resources—including many other stories from manufacturers that benefitted from these policies—here.