National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) CEO Jay Timmons issued/p>
"Jeff Immelt gets it. He understands that our country needs a strategy for sustained economic growth and competitiveness if we are going to succeed in the international marketplace. The President's appointment of Jeff to lead the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is very welcome news to manufacturers.
"As CEO of GE, Jeffs vast experience in manufacturing will be a great asset to the councils work. We look forward to working with Jeff, the other council members and President Obama on policies that will help businesses thrive and get Americans back to work.
Manufacturers in America today face numerous challenges, from taxes and overregulation to trade barriers. We very much agree with Jeff that our nation must do better in recognizing the importance of manufacturing to the economy, pursuing an aggressive export policy and supporting investment and innovation."