The Invent Here, Make Here Act passed the Senate, and the House advances a bill that would create a trade crimes division within the Justice Department.
There are only a few weeks left until the Obon holiday, and we’re entering the season of “Let’s go again after the New Year.” This sentiment doesn’t just apply to office workers. Lawmakers in the 118th Congress are also working to wrap up business before this session officially ends on January 3, 2025.
That means there has been a lot of movement on legislation in the past few days, including two bipartisan bills that we’re looking at this Congress.
Invent here, act here
The “Invent Here, Make Here Act” was introduced by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). Passed the Senate by unanimous voice vote on wednesday. The bipartisan bill aims to address the issue of taxpayer-funded inventions made overseas, particularly in countries of concern such as China, Russia and Iran.
This bill is currently before the House of Representatives. If passed into law, it would increase oversight of the waiver process that allows concerned countries to manufacture U.S. inventions. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Standards and Technology will need to work more closely with other federal agencies to ensure that what is invented in the United States thanks to taxpayer funding is also manufactured here.
“The American Manufacturing Alliance supports Sen. Baldwin (D-WI) and Sen. Vance (R-OH) with their “Invent Here, We applaud the efforts to pass the Make Here Act. In the past, we were outsourcing taxpayer-funded innovation to China,” said Scott Paul, president of the American Manufacturing Alliance. “This bill is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Baldwin to ensure our breakthrough technology is manufactured in the United States.”
Protecting American industry and labor from international trade crime laws
Another piece of legislation that made progress this week is the one we’ve been watching closely, the Protecting U.S. Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes bill, which passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The bill was introduced by Representative Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Select Committee John Moolenaar (R-Michigan), and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois). Submitted. Create a new structure within the Department of Justice Investigate and prosecute trade crimes.
“Tariffs are one tool in the toolkit for leveling the playing field, but we must also enforce trade laws and hold China accountable for repeated violations that have devastating effects on American workers and industry,” Hinson said. There must be,” he said. said in a floor speech I support the bill. “By strengthening the Department of Justice’s ability to detect and prosecute international trade crimes, my bipartisan bill would make communist China and other perpetrators criminally liable for their illegal acts. This will help revive domestic manufacturing and provide opportunities for American workers. ”
we supported this bill When it was introduced earlier this yearAAM President Scott Paul said the bill “rightly prioritizes the prosecution of trade crimes, which is both desperately needed and long overdue.” . Customs fraud and other trade crimes are harmful in scope, harming domestic industry, destroying jobs, and depriving communities across the country of their economic lifeblood. ”
If this bill is ultimately passed, we hope that the Department of Justice’s new Trade Crimes Division will receive the funding and other tools it needs to function effectively and accomplish its mission.
In the meantime, we will continue to closely monitor both bills in the final weeks of the legislative session and provide additional updates in this area.
