[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9516 of October 6, 2016

National Manufacturing Day, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Since our earliest days, innovation has been one of the most important
driving forces of the American economy, and for generations, our
manufacturing industry was the ticket to a good middle-class life. Over
time, developing technology has changed the way we approach
manufacturing. American manufacturing lost roughly one-third of its jobs
in the first decade of the new century--during the global recession--and
the middle class paid the price. Despite that, in recent years, through
the determination of our resilient workforce, our economy and our
manufacturing industry have been on the rise. Since 2010, we have added
more than 800,000 manufacturing jobs and witnessed the fastest pace of
manufacturing job growth since the 1990s--and today, factories are
opening doors more quickly than at any time in the past 20 years. On
National Manufacturing Day, we celebrate American manufacturing and
recognize our potential to remain competitive by continuing to
strengthen research, development, and our manufacturing sector.

To build on this progress, we must keep America on the cutting edge of
innovation and attract more high-quality manufacturing jobs for workers
to fill in the 21st-century economy. We have worked to grow the jobs of
tomorrow through Manufacturing USA, a national network of manufacturing
hubs that bring businesses, research universities, and governments
together to co-invest in the development of world-leading manufacturing
technologies and capabilities. These manufacturing hubs not only enable
some of the best minds in America to work together, but they also create
a home for specific technology focus areas in manufacturing that attract
people from around the world. Government can and should play a role in
catalyzing this progress, which is why my Administration has already
announced nine manufacturing hubs, with even more planned in the future.
By supporting this network of global leadership in manufacturing, we are
ensuring a steady stream of good jobs and pursuing the potential to
fundamentally change the way we build things in America. I encourage
everyone to visit www.Manufacturing.gov to learn more about the ways we
have highlighted these partnerships to increase our competitiveness and
advance our national manufacturing infrastructure.
The growing maker movement has played a role in encouraging
manufacturing. Through our Nation of Makers initiative, we have worked
to give students, entrepreneurs, and all Americans access to new
technologies so they can design and build anything they can dream of.
The democratization of tools required to create products has been
critical for supporting entrepreneurship and has led to a renaissance of
American manufacturing--and we must continue to foster the culture of
making and entrepreneurship. Our economic competitiveness in domestic
manufacturing depends on critical investments in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) education. If we make the necessary
investments to help students and young people experience hands-on STEM
learning, we can spark a deep interest and help them develop the passion
and creativity they need to excel in the 21st-century economy.

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Each year, hundreds of thousands of people observe this day by attending
open houses, public tours, and career workshops. As we mark 5 years
since the first National Manufacturing Day, we must inspire the next
generation of workers and innovators to seek careers in manufacturing.
Let us continue working to strengthen and expand the manufacturing jobs
of tomorrow and ensure that opportunity for all is something we can keep
making in America for generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 7, 2016, as
National Manufacturing Day. I call upon the people of the United States
to observe this day with programs and activities that highlight the
contributions of American manufacturers, and I encourage all Americans
to visit a manufacturer in their local community.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.
BARACK OBAMA