[Senate Report 119-91]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 222
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-91
_______________________________________________________________________
STREAMLINING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING STRATEGY ACT
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND
TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 2318
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
October 29, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
------
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
69-010 WASHINGTON : 2025
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred nineteenth congress
first session
TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
JOHN CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
BERNIE MORENO, Ohio JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
TIM SHEEHY, Montana ANDY KIM, New Jersey
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
Brad Grantz, Majority Staff Director
Lila Harper Helms, Democratic Staff Director
Calendar No. 222
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-91
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STREAMLINING AMERICAN
MANUFACTURING STRATEGY ACT
----------------
October 29, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
----------------
Mr. Cruz, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2318]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 2318) to amend the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the
periodic update to the strategic plan to guide the
Manufacturing USA Program to align with the mandatory updates
to the National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute and recommends that the
bill, as amended, do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of S. 2318 is to amend the Manufacturing USA
strategic planning cycle to align with the planning cycle for
the National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing.
Background and Needs
The United States is falling behind China in deploying
advanced manufacturing technology and training the advanced
manufacturing workforce.\1\ In 2014, Congress passed the
Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act\2\ to
establish the Manufacturing USA program and Manufacturing USA
Institutes to improve U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing
research and accelerate development of the advanced
manufacturing workforce.\3\ The Departments of Commerce,
Defense, and Energy sponsor the current 17 Manufacturing USA
Institutes,\4\ which conduct cutting-edge research and
development and provide workforce training in manufacturing.
The Department of Commerce, through its Advanced Manufacturing
National Program Office headquartered at the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST), oversees the Manufacturing
USA network.\5\ It convenes Manufacturing USA Institutes,
facilitates their collaboration with Federal agencies, and
promotes workforce development activities.\6\
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\1\Christopher Ford, Charles Clancy, and Duane Blackburn, MITRE, A
``Horizon Strategy'' Framework for Science and Technology Policy for
the U.S. Innovation Economy and America's Competitive Success, May
2021, https://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/prs-21-1440-
horizon-strategy-framework-science-technology-policy.pdf.
\2\Public Law 113-235.
\3\15 U.S.C. 278s(b).
\4\U.S. Government Accountability Office, Advanced Manufacturing:
Aligning Strategies and Improving Agency Reviews Could Help Institutes
Achieve National Goals, GAO-25-107369, June 4, 2025, https://
www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107369.
\5\Manufacturing USA, https://www.manufacturingusa.com/about-us.
\6\Ibid.
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In 2025, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
conducted a performance audit to examine key changes to the
management, operation, and governance of the Manufacturing USA
Program and its institutes since fiscal year 2019; how
sponsoring agencies assess the institutes' performance; and the
extent to which they have helped achieve national and
programmatic advanced manufacturing goals.\7\ The performance
audit found that the 3-year strategic planning cycle for the
Manufacturing USA program can result in a strategic plan that
is not in sync with the higher level National Strategy for
Advanced Manufacturing that is required every 4 years.\8\ This
bill would implement GAO's recommendation to amend section 34
of the NIST Act\9\ to require the Advanced Manufacturing
National Program Office to align the timelines of updating the
strategic plan for the Manufacturing USA program along with the
National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing.
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\7\GAO report, supra, note 3.
\8\Ibid.
\9\Act of March, 1901, chapter 872 of the 56th Congress; 15 U.S.C.
chapter 7.
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Summary of Provisions
S. 2318 would amend the Manufacturing USA strategic
planning cycle to every 4 years and align the planning cycle of
Manufacturing USA with the planning cycle for the National
Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing.
Legislative History
S. 2318, the Streamlining American Manufacturing Strategy
Act, was introduced on July 17, 2025, by Senator Blunt
Rochester (for herself and Senator Budd) and was referred to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate. On July 30, 2025, the Committee met in open Executive
Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 2318 reported favorably
with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute).
Estimated Costs
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 2318 would require the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) to update its strategic plan to guide the
Manufacturing USA program every four years to align that report
with the release of the National Science and Technology
Council's (NSTC's) recurring report on advanced manufacturing.
(Under current law, NIST updates its report every three years
and the most recent report was published in 2025.)
By aligning the NIST report with the NSTC report, CBO
expects that NIST would need to complete two report updates
over the 2026-2030 period (in 2026 and 2030) instead of one in
2028.
Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates
that the cost for NIST to implement S. 2318 would be
insignificant; any related spending would be subject to the
availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is David Hughes.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
Regulatory Impact Statement
Because S. 2318 does not create any new programs, the
legislation will have no additional regulatory impact and will
result in no additional reporting requirements. The legislation
will have no further effect on the number or types of
individuals and businesses regulated, the economic impact of
such regulation, the personal privacy of affected individuals,
or the paperwork required from such individuals and businesses.
Congressionally Directed Spending
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title.
This section would provide that the bill may be cited as
the ``Streamlining American Manufacturing Strategy Act''.
Section 2. Alignment of timing of updates of strategic plan with
updates to National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing.
This section would amend the National Institute of
Standards and Technology Act to provide that the strategic plan
for Manufacturing USA is updated at least every 4 years, and
that the planning cycle for the updates would align with the
planning cycle for updates to the National Strategy for
Advanced Manufacturing to better ensure the priorities of the
national strategy are reflected. This section would also
include conforming amendments to update the later statute where
it references the strategic plan for Manufacturing USA.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
material is printed in italic, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS
AND TECHNOLOGY ACT
* * * * * * *
[15 U.S.C. 278s(i)]
SEC. 34. MANUFACTURING USA.
(a) Definitions.--* * *
(b) * * *
(c) * * *
(d) * * *
(e) * * *
(f) * * *
(g) * * *
(h) * * *
(i) National Program Office.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish,
within the Institute, the National Office of the
Manufacturing USA Network (referred to in this section
as the National Program Office), which shall oversee
and carry out the Program.
(2) Functions.--The functions of the National Program
Office are--
(A) to oversee the planning, management, and
coordination of the Program;
(B) to coordinate with and, as appropriate,
enter into memorandums of understanding with
Federal departments and agencies whose missions
contribute to or are affected by advanced
manufacturing, including the Department of
Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the
Department of Education, the Department of
Energy, the Department of Labor, the Food and
Drug Administration, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the National
Institutes of Health, and the National Science
Foundation, to carry out the purposes set forth
under subsection (b)(2);
(C) to develop, not later than December 16,
2015, [and update not less frequently than once
every 3 years thereafter,] a strategic plan to
guide the Program, including a strategy for
retaining domestic public benefits from
Manufacturing USA institutes once Federal
funding has been discontinued;
(D) to update the strategic plan developed
under subparagraph (C) not less frequently than
once every 4 years such that the planning cycle
for the updates aligns with the planning cycle
for updates to the National Strategy for
Advanced Manufacturing required under section
102(c)(4) of the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C.
6622(c)(4)) to better ensure the Program
reflects the priorities of the national
strategy;
[(D)](E) to establish such procedures,
processes, and criteria as may be necessary and
appropriate to maximize cooperation and
coordinate the activities of the Program with
programs and activities of other Federal
departments and agencies whose missions
contribute to or are affected by advanced
manufacturing;
[(E)](F) to establish a clearinghouse of
public information related to the activities of
the Program;
[(F)](G) to act as a convener of the Network;
[(G)](H) to work with Federal agencies that
are not sponsoring or supporting a
Manufacturing USA institute to explore and
develop options for sponsoring or supporting a
Manufacturing USA institute;
[(H)](I) to work with Federal agencies that
are sponsoring or supporting a Manufacturing
USA institute to develop and implement network-
wide performance goals with measurable targets
and timelines;
[(I)](J) to help develop pilot programs that
may be implemented by the Manufacturing USA
institutes to address specific purposes of the
Program, including to accelerate technology
transfer to the private sector and to develop
entrepreneurship programs;
[(J)](K) to provide support services to
promote workforce development activities,
including the development of industry
credentials;
[(K)](L) to identify and disseminate best
practices for workforce education and training
across the Network and further enhance
collaboration among Manufacturing USA
institutes in developing and implementing such
practices;
[(L)](M) to collaborate with the Department
of Labor, the Department of Education,
industry, career and technical education
schools, local community colleges,
universities, and labor organizations to
provide input, as appropriate, for the
development of national certifications for
advanced manufacturing workforce skills in the
technology areas of the Manufacturing USA
institutes; and
[(M)](N) to coordinate with Manufacturing USA
institutes to develop best practices for the
membership agreements and coordination of
similar project solicitations.
(3) Recommendations.--In developing and updating the
strategic plan under [paragraph (2)(C)] subparagraphs
(C) and (D) of paragraph (2), the Secretary shall
solicit recommendations and advice from a wide range of
stakeholders, including industry, small and medium-
sized manufacturing enterprises, research universities,
community colleges, State, Tribal, and local
governments, and other relevant organizations and
institutions on an ongoing basis.
(4) Report to congress.--Upon completion, the
Secretary shall transmit the strategic plan required
under [paragraph (2)(C)] subparagraph (C) of paragraph
(2) and any update to the plan required under
subparagraph (D) of such paragraph to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives.
(5) Hollings manufacturing extension partnership.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure
that the National Program Office leverages the
capabilities of the Hollings Manufacturing
Extension Partnership into Program planning to
ensure--
(i) significant outreach to,
participation of, and engagement of
small- and medium-sized manufacturers
in Manufacturing USA institutes across
the entirety of the manufacturing
supply chain; and
(ii) that the results of the Program,
including technologies developed by the
Program, reach small- and medium-sized
manufacturers and that such entities
have access to technical assistance, as
appropriate, in deploying those
technologies.
(B) Liaisons.--The Secretary may provide
financial assistance to a manufacturing
extension center established as part of the
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership to
support the purposes of the Program by
providing services in one or more of the
following areas:
(i) Support services for small- and
medium-sized manufacturers, that many
include the designation of a liaison.
(ii) Assistance with workforce
development.
(iii) Technology transfer for small
and medium-sized manufacturers.
(iv) Such other areas as the
Secretary determines appropriate to
support the purposes of the Program.
(6) Detailees.--Any Federal Government employee may
be detailed to the National Program Office without
reimbursement. Such detail shall be without
interruption or loss of civil service status or
privilege.
(7) Council for coordination of institutes.--
(A) Council.--The National Program Office
shall establish or designate a council of heads
of any Manufacturing USA institute receiving
Federal funding at any time to foster
collaboration between Manufacturing USA
institutes.
(B) Meetings.--The council established or
designated pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall
meet not less frequently than twice each year.
(C) Duties of the council.--The council
established pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall
assist the National Program Office in carrying
out the functions of the National Program
Office under paragraph (2).
(j) * * *
(k) * * *
(l) * * *
(m) * * *
* * * * * * *
[all]