Sherrod Brown: “I rise in support of the Kohl amendment. I, first of all, appreciate the terrific work he has done in the Manufacturing…”

“I rise in support of the Kohl amendment. I, first of all, appreciate the terrific work he has done in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. I come from a State with many of the same problems the Senator from Wisconsin faces, including a decline in our industrial base. In too many cases, many of the 3 million manufacturing jobs our country has lost are in my State, and it especially hurts those small manufacturing companies, those small tool and dye makers, those small machine shops in Steubenville and Akron and Toledo. The work he has done on the Manufacturing Extension Partnership has already helped turn around some of those businesses in my State, in Ohio, in the Miami Valley, and the Mahoney Valley and everything in between. The MEP allows small companies--the big companies don't need the help so much--similar to the Agriculture Extension Service, which is so important throughout the world and America--the Manufacturing Extension Partnership has really mattered in helping these small companies, whether it is cutting energy costs, whether it is learning how to export, working with the U.S. Export Assistance Center, whether it is dealing with some kind of trade policy, perhaps, or tax policy, helping those small companies learn how to compete in this increasingly difficult and competitive global environment. The MEP has had strong support from both parties, so I strongly urge my colleagues in both parties to support this amendment.”