In 2000, the United States had approximately 18 million manufacturing jobs. Ten years later, the U.S. only had 12 million of them.

We haven’t adequately filled that hole in our economy in the meantime, and this job loss has helped fuel widening inequality, increased economic insecurity and a growing number of deaths of despair among working class Americans of all backgrounds.  

Factory jobs, particularly when they’re unionized, pay a wage premium, especially for workers without a four-year college degree. They’re the types of jobs that allow people to pay their bills with a single paycheck. They’re the types of jobs that allow people to do things like save a little money, buy a house, and go on the occasional vacation. They’re the types of jobs that built the middle class.  The Alliance for American Manufacturing advocates for policies that will bring those jobs back. Our economy and our fellow citizens need them, and they are essential to building a better, brighter future for our country.

Nationwide, more than 70,000 bridges are structurally deficient. Our roads, railways, and transit systems are relics of the past. And Washington still hasn’t made rebuilding America’s infrastructure a top priority.

With each passing day the national infrastructure deficit deepens while the cost of repairs piles up. That’s why the country needs a long-term infrastructure bill that will fix what’s broken, build what’s needed, and improve both public life and economic competitiveness in this country. What’s more: This investment in America should be made by Americans, so that any infrastructure program is a manufacturing jobs program too.

The United States has only one remaining producer of grain-oriented electrical steel, a specialty metal needed to maintain municipal electric grids. It took the country months to ramp up production of medical-grade facemasks needed by the healthcare workers on the front lines treating COVID-19 patients. And the Pentagon has warned that deindustrialization and weakened supply chains have made it more difficult to obtain the supplies needed to defend the nation.

These are examples of an industrial erosion that has seen more than 63,000 American factories close since 2001, which has left the United States unable to respond quickly to threats and catastrophes.

This neglect is coming at a serious cost to American security. We must identify industries crucial to it, and put in place policies to shore them up. It’s time to get organized before the next disaster hits.

For decades, the consensus in public policy circles was that free trade was a good thing, as it allowed U.S. companies to sell more products abroad. But far too little attention was paid to the consequences at home. Opening up trade led to the loss of millions of good-paying jobs, the closure of tens of thousands of American factories, and contributed to widening income inequality.

Part of the problem is that many countries don’t play by the same rules that American workers and companies do. China’s government heavily subsidizes its companies; many, in fact, are state-owned or controlled, which means they can price their goods far below fair market value. Meanwhile, U.S. companies and workers face far tougher labor and environmental laws than competitors abroad.

American manufacturers can compete with anyone on the planet, but not when the game is rigged. The United States also should only enter into trade agreements when there are enforceable measures to ensure fairness across the board. The playing field should always be level.

The U.S. must strip off the rust that neglect has left on its vocational education system. But many are instead content to point fingers: at kids, for not realizing the benefits of a manufacturing career; at schools, for not focusing enough on STEM education; at pop culture, for portraying factories as desolate; or at our nation’s leaders and counselors, for suggesting that a four-year degree is the only path to success. But assigning blame won’t prepare a workforce. A strong economy is essential to attracting more to manufacturing careers. But there are other policy proposals that could support the work that community colleges, vocational high schools, labor-business partnerships, and apprenticeship programs are doing to prepare the workforce of the future. Will we follow best practices and institute them?

The domestic manufacturing sector is America’s leading buyer of technology. It accounts for 90 percent of all new patents, and for nearly a third of all private-sector research and development.

There are incentives in place that help American industry foster that innovative edge. For the best return, though, these investments in the future economy should ultimately result in jobs for American workers so that more of us benefit. There are plenty of proposals that marry innovation to workforce development. Will we improve our innovative edge by instituting them?

A strong manufacturing base is a critical foundation for a healthy economy, and public policy has a role to play in maintaining one. The United States needs a national strategic plan to encourage domestic manufacturing, one that identifies industries critical to economic competitiveness, brings more of their supply chains onshore, and increases coordination between existing industrial programs. The international competition is planning for the industries of the future. The United States must too.  

When the government builds or repairs public infrastructure like highways and bridges, it’s buying in bulk. Federal and state procurement budgets are so big that they create markets of their own – and the rules of those markets can and should make sure public spending promotes economic activity at home. Since 1933, Buy America rules have done exactly that.

Buy America rules prioritize American manufacturers and workers when our government awards procurement contracts. But loopholes make it very easy to spend tax dollars outside of the country. That’s local economic activity generated elsewhere, at a time when every dollar spent on procurement should be an investment in American jobs. We should be expanding Buy America laws and strengthening the ones we already have, which will create millions of good jobs and reinvest taxpayer dollars right back into American communities.