Spotlight
February 28, 2013 Newsletter
State of the Union Address: President Obama Launches Plan for a Strong Middle Class and a Strong America
During the State of the Union address on February 12, President Obama outlined a plan that builds on the progress made during his first term and strengthens the middle class by making America a magnet for jobs and manufacturing, equipping every American with the skills they need to do those jobs, and ensuring that hard work leads to a decent living.
A thriving middle class has always been America’s engine of economic growth. Reigniting that engine is the defining challenge of our time.
The plan outlines investments in manufacturing, clean energy, infrastructure, and education to help grow the nation’s economy from the middle class out—not from the top down—and, when combined with the President’s plan for balanced deficit reduction, none of these proposals will add a dime to the deficit.
Click here for a PDF of the President’s plan
Fact Sheet: The President’s Plan to Make America a Magnet for Jobs by Investing in Manufacturing
Click here to read entire fact sheet
EXCERPT:
Investing in manufacturing communities and bringing jobs back: Today, we are better positioned to attract new manufacturing investment in the U.S. and bring jobs back. But some communities are still hard-hit by the recession, particularly after closure of factories in places like Detroit, Michigan and Rochester, New York. The President is announcing new steps to partner with and help strengthen communities, including:
Launching an “Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership”: The President is directing Federal agencies to provide coordinated assistance to manufacturing communities through a new partnership designed to strengthen communities’ ability to attract investment. To support the Partnership, the President’s Budget will propose $113 million to provide targeted financial assistance for about five manufacturing communities while leveraging non-Federal funds on a 2 to 1 matching basis to co-invest in state of the art infrastructure projects and research facilities. These efforts will aim to attract manufacturers and their supply chain of local parts innovators, producers, and distributors, creating new jobs and strengthening the local economy. In addition, the Partnership, through multiple Federal agencies, will provide technical support to redevelop manufacturing communities that have had major plant closings, in partnership with local leaders, workers, and businesses.