Domestic manufacturing is a big part of the answer to the stress that characterized the last election.
One of the big advantages Donald Trump will enjoy in January is an economy characterized by steady growth, low inflation, steady employment, and generous 401(k) returns. data shows Voters are already feeling better about the same economy they were worried about in October.
But the more serious concerns are unlikely to be alleviated anytime soon. The costs of child care, housing, and health care are too high, the paths to well-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree are too narrow, and the economic destructive threats are too high. strategic competitors Like China, our security is too strong.
Given the deep political divisions in domestic politics, is progress possible? According to voters, yes. Americans from all walks of life continue to show strong support for revitalizing American manufacturing. And if the manufacturing industry is revitalized, our fears will be alleviated to some extent.
A poll we conducted with Morning Consult after the November election reveals why this happens. More than 30 years after NAFTA was signed and nearly 25 years since the U.S. government innocently normalized trade with China, 30 percent of respondents said they lost their jobs due to factory closures. They answered that they knew. This is one reason why support for manufacturing extends far beyond those who work or have worked on factory floors.
Voters support maintaining or raising tariffs on China, cracking down on imports from Mexico, and recalibrating the trade agenda to prioritize worker protections and retraining over negotiating new free trade agreements.
In addition to these bold trade defenses, there is growing support for industrial policies that include domestic investment in strategic industries. So while President Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency might consider eliminating some of these programs, it would be a big mistake.
And here are some observations clean energy proponents should take to heart: 82% of voters support ensuring clean energy products are manufactured in the United States to maintain energy independence, even if decarbonization takes longer.
Americans who understand that domestic manufacturing means more domestic economic activity want to help more as individuals. Four in five people say they would buy more American-made products if major retailers stocked them. And voters want policies that facilitate this kind of consumption. For example, a further 82% believe online retailers should be required to label products with country of origin in the same way as in-person retailers.
In fact, there is a bill under consideration that would do just that. COOL Online Actwas supported in the last Congress by Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and now Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
President-elect Trump has campaigned on bringing back jobs lost to outsourcing, as he did in 2016, and this poll shows the public is ready for him to do so. If he chooses that path, the door is open for bipartisan policy to win. The past few years have shown how that can be done.
Support across the aisle bipartisan infrastructure law It’s in the name of the bill. The program is now rebuilding shared physical assets using American-made materials, thanks to parallel Buy America enhancements. of chips methodThere was also bipartisan agreement to redeploy critical semiconductor production capacity. Public-private efforts to get multiple coronavirus vaccines to the nation in record time were equally successful: Trump’s own maneuver warp speed.
There will continue to be many divisive political debates about taxes, immigration, and foreign policy. By contrast, rebooting the Made in America agenda would bring unity. More importantly, it is a central part of the answer to the economic anxiety that characterized the last election. The opening of new factories in post-industrial areas, where many of the country’s factories are located, would be a major stabilizer.
This is another advantage President Trump enjoys. Despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on building U.S. manufacturing in recent years, few people have heard of a new factory opening in our region (of those surveyed). 8%).
That will change. Soon those factories will be built and jobs will begin. And no one loves ribbon cuttings more than elected officials.
Mr. Trump and Congress should seize this opportunity to respond to voters’ fears by giving them what they want: programs that boost American manufacturing. The combination of domestic investment and a hard line on trade policy will be deeply popular across political divides.
