[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 24, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5227-S5228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ECONOMIC GROWTH

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a final matter, yesterday, the 
White House hosted a ``Made in America'' showcase, featuring products 
that were manufactured in each State, including from Stoneware & Co., 
in my home State, which makes the famous Louisville stoneware kitchen 
and dining sets.

[[Page S5228]]

  Well, talking about reviving American manufacturing is nothing new in 
this town. In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Obama 
insisted that ``our first priority is making America a magnet for new 
jobs and manufacturing.''
  Every few years, it seemed our Democratic friends over in the House 
would hold yet another press conference to talk about getting 
manufacturing moving. So rhetoric was not in short supply during the 
Obama era. What was harder to come by were actual results. On President 
Obama's watch, on net, our country lost more than 300,000 manufacturing 
jobs.
  Year after year, Democratic policies led to insufficient, sluggish, 
and uneven economic growth that left much of the country behind. Eight 
years of this so-called recovery couldn't even get us back to the same 
number of manufacturing jobs that we had when President Obama first 
took his oath of office.
  There are a number of reasons why. Yet here is one thing we heard 
loud and clear from U.S. manufacturers: High taxes, heavy regulations, 
and other Democratic policies put the wind squarely in their faces. 
Back in 2013, more than 75 percent of U.S. manufacturers said a hostile 
climate due to taxes and regulations was a major business obstacle.
  What about the present? What about now?
  This united Republican government has put an end to one burdensome 
regulation after another. We cut through the redtape that held back 
small businesses, local lenders, and manufacturers. We overhauled the 
Tax Code, leaving families with more to spend and invest and leaving 
job creators with more flexibility to compete and win.
  What were the results?
  Less than 2 years into the new administration, an all-time high of 
95.1 percent of U.S. manufacturers have a positive outlook. Now fewer 
than one in five says a hostile business climate due to things like 
taxes and regulations is a top obstacle, and more than two-thirds are 
planning to hire this year. These aren't just numbers; this is real 
life.
  At Jamison Door in Hagerstown, MD, tax reform made possible a 400-
percent increase in plant size.
  In my home State of Kentucky, it is estimated that more than 1,000 
construction jobs will be needed to help build a new aluminum rolling 
mill for Braidy Industries. Over the next 7 years, tax reform is 
expected to save the company--listen to this--$150 million, which will 
help to support this investment and the 600 permanent new jobs the 
company estimates it will create in the Commonwealth.
  So let's sum it up. Republican policies have helped generate the very 
outcomes Democrats claim they wanted. American manufacturing is 
thriving on our watch, but now Democrats aren't cheering. In fact, they 
have tried to block most of the policies that have helped this happen.
  They voted against tax reform--every Democrat in the House and the 
Senate. They have protested regulatory reform every step of the way. 
They want to go right back to their old ways--repeal the Tax Cuts and 
Jobs Act, raise taxes, and pile on more crushing regulations.
  We are not going to let that happen because we agree that 
manufacturing growth is vital for American prosperity, and unlike our 
friends across the aisle, we have the ideas and the policies to help 
make that goal into reality.

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