NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty’s (R-TN) bipartisan legislation to cut bureaucratic red tape for key national-security manufacturing operations, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden this week, has received broad support from leaders in the manufacturing and automobile industries, advocates for regulatory reform to promote American innovation, and former Trump Administration officials who see this legislation as an important step in bringing home American jobs and boosting American competitiveness on the global stage.
See some of their statements below:
Former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer: “Reducing our economic reliance on China and other foreign nations is critical as America faces strategic economic and national security threats due to this dependence. I applaud Senator Hagerty’s leadership and efforts to strengthen our national security, create American jobs, and make our nation competitive again.”
Nissan Americas Senior Vice President for External Affairs Andrew Tavi: “Nissan is committed to supporting measures that will help to ease supply chain disruptions and the semiconductor chip shortage; and we appreciate Senator Hagerty’s leadership on national and economic security issues that will address these challenges. Senator Hagerty’s support will help ensure the Tennessee and U.S. economies remain strong and grow more independent through investments in semiconductor plants and advanced technology in the U.S.”
General Motors Vice President of External Affairs Elizabeth Reicherts: “General Motors applauds the bipartisan support for this commonsense reform legislation, and we thank Senator Hagerty for his leadership on this issue that is of the utmost importance to the U.S. automotive manufacturing sector and the 10.3 million jobs the industry supports. This legislation represents an important step to ensure that the U.S. is positioned to maintain and enhance its place as the leader in automotive innovation.”
Toyota Motor North America Senior Vice President Norm Bafunno: “This legislation will help America remain competitive in the semiconductor industry which plays a significant role in the automotive supply chain.”
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce: “Tennessee is a global leader in automobile manufacturing and a premier destination for OEM automobile manufacturers. Across our state, 88 of 95 counties contain automotive manufacturing operations or major assembly plants. Semiconductors are essential to nearly every sector of the economy, especially automobiles. Demand for semiconductors has outstripped supply, creating a global chip shortage resulting in a loss of growth and jobs. Onshoring semiconductor production is a critical part of strengthening the U.S. economy and national security. The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Tennessee Manufacturers Association applaud Senator Hagerty for his commonsense approach that will strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry and address shortages we have seen across the economy.”
Former President and CEO of Manufacturers Alliance Dr. Thomas J. Duesterberg: “Senator Hagerty’s important piece of legislation is just what is needed to make sure new legislation to rebuild U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capabilities is implemented in a timely way. We only need to point to the recent threatening behavior of China toward the advanced chip-making hub of Taiwan to understand that we must move quickly to regain semiconductor leadership and self-sufficiency.”
Former Associate Director for Regulatory Reform of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Mario Loyola: “There is only one reason that manufacturing goes offshore, and that is the stifling levels of regulation and taxation here at home. Overregulation puts America at a grave competitive disadvantage to countries like China and leave us dependent on vulnerable sources of supply, like Taiwan. So streamlining the permitting process for manufacturing infrastructure in strategic sectors is of paramount importance. Including the high-tech sector—in particular semiconductor manufacturing—among the covered project sectors of FAST-41, along with other measures to strengthen FAST-41 and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, is a vital and welcome step.”
President and CEO of the Conservative Partnership Institute Ed Corrigan: “Since arriving in D.C., Senator Hagerty has shown a commitment to reducing Federal bureaucracy. Enactment of this law expanding FAST-41 is a good step toward beating China and creating more jobs here at home.”
President and CEO of the Beacon Center of Tennessee Justin Owen: “We applaud the effort led by Senator Hagerty to cut government red tape for key industries necessary for America to remain competitive and secure on the global stage. We believe this can serve as a common-sense model for future regulatory reforms at both the federal and state level.”
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