In the 111th Congress, I am continuing my mission to strengthen manufacturing in America and create good-paying jobs for the people of northern Illinois and throughout our nation. As the lead Republican on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, I will continue to work to level the playing field for U.S. manufacturers competing in the global marketplace. As Chairman of the U.S.-China Interparliamentary Exchange from 1999 to 2006, I continually engaged China’s leaders on the country’s unfair trade practices, including currency manipulation, piracy and illegal business subsidies. I also continue to co-chair the 80-member House Manufacturing Caucus, which I founded in 2003. I’m also a member of the Council on Competitiveness’ Steering Committee to the National Innovation Initiative.
As Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Small Business from 2001 to 2006, I held more than 60 hearings on the state of manufacturing in America and introduced numerous pieces of legislation to make U.S. companies more competitive so they can expand and create jobs. I’m proud to have earned the reputation as Congress’ champion of manufacturing and a fierce advocate for job creation in northern Illinois. My “Agenda to Restore Manufacturing in America” outlines 17 priorities to preserve U.S. manufacturing and put Americans back to work. The plan’s highlights include providing tax relief to companies that keep jobs in America; forcing China and the other East Asian countries to stop manipulating their currencies to give themselves an unfair cost advantage over American companies; requiring the federal government to comply with Buy American laws; preserving America’s Defense Industrial Base; and reducing the surging cost of health care.
One of the priorities in the plan, encouraging job creation in America, was accomplished in October 2004 when President Bush signed into law the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, which provides a 9 percent tax deduction for manufacturing production in the United States. I led the fight in Congress to include these domestic manufacturing benefits and to share them with small businesses, keeping manufacturing jobs in America.
