Mike Honda: “I thank my friend for leading this group, and also providing the rest of the country the understanding and the idea that…”

“I thank my friend for leading this group, and also providing the rest of the country the understanding and the idea that there's work being done here. There are creative minds in Congress that are looking at the issue of manufacturing and creating jobs. I dare say that the word ``manufacturing'' probably, for many people in this country, conjures up the old-fashioned traditional kinds of work. But today we've heard nothing but the upgraded, the high tech, the kind of manufacturing that requires many, many other States to cooperate with each other in order for something to happen. So the American manufacturing renaissance is really essential for a full and sustainable economic recovery. National Manufacturing Day is an opportunity to highlight manufacturing's importance and outsized contributions to America's economy. Manufacturing can generate 70 percent of exports in both advanced and emerging manufacturing, and up to 90 percent of business research and development spending. Just in my home State of California, there are over 40,000 manufacturers that account for over 1.2 million jobs and $230 billion of output. Small supplying contractor manufacturers like Cal Weld, in Fremont, California, which I was going to visit, but I think that our calendar is going to delay that visit. Cal Weld, in Fremont, California, plays a key role in the worldwide supply chain system. The term ``supply chain'' is a concept that's not well understood nor well-discussed.…”