It’s time for policymakers in Washington to take decisive action to strengthen America’s leadership position in manufacturing. Far too often, government policies are unnecessarily driving up the cost of doing business, imposing needless delays on plant expansions and construction projects, making it difficult to plan for the future, and standing in the way of reshoring efforts. 

With that in mind, members of the American Foundry Society (AFS) were in the nation’s capital in force last month to meet with senior trade agency officials and more than 80 congressional offices. AFS also met with policy experts and an economic policy advocate with ties to the Trump administration, and presented the AFS Congressional Champion Award to three lawmakers whose voting records are supportive of metalcasters. AFS advocated for this agenda:

Tax Policy. With key parts of the 2017 tax-reform bill being phased out, it’s imperative that Congress pass a strong tax reconciliation bill, retroactive to January 1, 2025, to avoid a massive tax hike. The House has already passed such a bill with strong incentives for business investment and R&D, while the Senate is working on its own version. The sooner the president is able to sign a bill into law, the sooner the manufacturing economy and the millions of people who work in manufacturing will benefit.

Trade Cheats. Lawmakers are currently non-committal on whether a trade bill will be completed in 2025. The longer Congress delays, the more our foundries will suffer from foreign tariff-dodging and unfair foreign trade practices. AFS is urging Congress to pass the Fighting Trade Cheats Act (H.R. 1284), the Leveling the Playing Field Act (H.R. 3882/S.1856), and the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act (H.R. 1869).

Regulatory Rebalancing. The Trump administration is off to a very good start in taking a more methodical approach to regulation at federal agencies, especially at the EPA. Rules must be based on sound science and cost-benefit analyses, with input from those being regulated, in order for the U.S. economy to be as productive as possible. Much more work remains to be done, including enhancing the permitting process so projects are not endlessly delayed. 

Electricity Reliability and Affordability. With data centers increasingly consuming massive amounts of electricity to power AI, federal policies need to encourage grid reliability and electricity affordability. All forms of electricity generation must be encouraged. 
Modernizing the Workforce Development System. With nearly 500,000 U.S. job vacancies unfilled, AFS supports several bills to streamline federal training programs and make them more effective. The House-passed budget reconciliation bill already includes measures to make permanent a tax incentive for educational assistance programs, expand the use of 529 educational savings plans, and refine the parameters of Pell Grants. AFS has been lobbying for these bills’ enactment. 

To join our advocacy efforts, please contact me at dkurkul@afsinc.org.