Tax

For three jam-packed days this week, the NAM and 39 manufacturers from across the U.S. took to Capitol Hill to make their voices heard on a critical issue: getting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to President Donald Trump’s desk by a July 4 deadline.

What’s going on: Manufacturing leaders from Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Indiana, South Carolina and Minnesota—representing 29 manufacturing businesses—gathered in Washington Monday to emphasize to members of the House, Senate and administration the economic stakes of inaction on the OBBBA.

• At approximately 50 meetings with decision makers on the Hill—including one with Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender—the NAM-led manufacturer contingent pointed repeatedly to  NAM data projecting the loss of 1.1 million manufacturing jobs and $284 billion in output if the OBBBA isn’t passed.
• The NAM-led visit and meetings were covered by POLITICO Pro’s Morning Tax newsletter, among other outlets.

Roundtable: The Treasury Department hosted the group Thursday morning for a roundtable discussion on the scheduled expiration of several important, pro-growth tax provisions.

• Treasury staffers sought firsthand accounts of how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—extensions of which are in the OBBBA—helped manufacturers. They also asked for stories illustrating how the sunsetting of the TCJA measures, which began in 2022, has harmed manufacturing businesses.
• NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons thanked the administration for its continued commitment to manufacturing nationwide, adding that the real-world stories from the group and perspectives the members shared during the roundtable would help inform ongoing discussions with both Congress and the White House.

The details: During the roundtable, manufacturers detailed how the TCJA fueled capital investments, hiring, and innovation—momentum that could stall without congressional action.

• Manufacturers pointed to the critical role of provisions, including immediate research-and-development expensing, full expensing for capital equipment purchases and interest deductibility—in driving product development and facility expansion.
• Business owners hammered home the need to make these measures permanent and as beneficial as possible for manufacturers to support long-term planning and continued innovation.

Lifesaving measures: Leadership from a company in the medical technology sector noted that uncertainty in R&D expensing could delay lifesaving advancements.

• Another manufacturer, whose company makes safety equipment, described how the loss of the full expensing provisions would affect safety investments on shop floors.
• Other manufacturers highlighted post-2017 growth in facility buildouts and acquisitions that now hang in the balance thanks to uncertainty surrounding the TCJA provisions’ continuation.

Reinforcing a three-part tax policy agenda: The Treasury event reinforced the NAM’s three-part tax policy agenda, which consists of the following:

• Protecting small business incentives, such as the pass-through deduction and estate tax relief
• Restoring pro-investment provisions, such as R&D expensing and interest deductibility
• Maintaining the competitive 21% corporate tax rate and the TCJA’s international tax regime

Treasury’s take: Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender  spoke at length about the roundtable with Bloomberg TV.

• “We had a great conversation with Jay and a number of his members today to understand exactly how factories around this country would be impacted if we do not get this bill over the finish line, and to talk about not just the benefits we saw after the 2017 act, but some of the new provisions that are in this bill, and how it would impact the investments that they make,” Faulkender said. “We know full well failure is not an option.”