Mike Levin: “I rise to point out a serious shortcoming in the FY07 Science, State, Justice, Commerce Appropriations bill.…”

“I rise to point out a serious shortcoming in the FY07 Science, State, Justice, Commerce Appropriations bill. Manufacturing has a proud history in this country as the engine that created our middle class--a source of good jobs, steady benefits, and quality products for consumers. While I will support the overall bill, I am concerned that it does not provide adequate resources for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, or MEP. MEP is a small, but proven program that helps small manufacturers compete globally by giving them access to technologies and processes that improve their productivity and their products. By proposing to cut MEP by more than 50 percent, the President has again demonstrated his upside-down priorities and refused to acknowledge the manufacturing jobs crisis in this country. Since 2001, manufacturing states like Michigan have lost a median 17 percent of their manufacturing jobs--an average of more than 75,000 jobs per state. Yet the Bush Administration has ignored the importance of preserving our manufacturing base at every turn--refusing to enforce U.S. trading rights here and overseas, failing to take advantage of opportunities to create new markets for American goods, and repeatedly proposing funding cuts for programs that spur innovation and forward progress here at home.…”