Could manufacturing have prompted a rare display of bipartisanship in Washington?
Turns out the answer is yes. A group of seven senators, led by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., has sent a letter to the Government Accounting Office asking it to analyze federal manufacturing policies and provide recommendations for improvement.
“Given the importance of manufacturing in the United States, it is critical that federal manufacturing policy be effective,” the senators wrote GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro on August 19. “However, because the sector is diverse, no one federal department or agency deals exclusively with manufacturing.”
In fact, according to the letter, analysts at the Congressional Research Service says there is no comprehensive list of agencies charged with executing manufacturing policies, nor is there an available catalog of programs designed to assist manufacturers or their workers.
In their letter, the senators request a full listing of federal programs and incentives for manufacturers, along with answers to questions about the cost, impact, and effectiveness of these initiatives.
Along with Coons, the letter was signed by Senators Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Mark Warner, R-Va., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
