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Federal prosecutors have been ordered to prioritize the prosecution of “immigration-related violations,” according to a recent from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to all Justice Department employees.
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What’s going on: The memo, sent Feb. 5, tasks U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the U.S. with using “all available criminal statutes to combat the flood of illegal immigration … and to continue to support the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration and removal initiatives.” The offices are also required to track and report immigration-related cases and convictions.������
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What it means: Under the new policy, employers that knowingly hire foreign workers who lack work authorization will face heightened risks of criminal prosecution.

• There will also be more criminal investigations into employers found to have committed workplace immigration violations, even unintentional ones.
• Companies that have a history of noncompliance will be prioritized for enforcement actions.
• The federal government will lean on state and local authorities to investigate and pursue immigration-related violations. Those that obstruct investigation efforts (which can include simply failing to comply or cooperate) could face criminal charges.
• Prosecution will not be limited to large companies.

Dive deeper: our partner law firm Fisher Phillips’ top five takeaways from the DOJ memo.

17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress:

“The stakes couldn’t be higher for manufacturers right now. Many manufacturers are operating on thin margins, and the tariffs imposed today will further strain their resources. For example:

• A large manufacturer in the power-engineering sector that imports more than $100 million every year in components and products from Mexico now faces increasing costs of $25 million due to the tariffs. As a major supplier to the U.S. utility and industrial market, this will directly impact the ability for domestic utilities and industrial customers to maintain a safe, efficient and secure power grid.
• Another large consumer goods manufacturer indicated the tariffs on Mexico will cost their company $200 million, and the Canadian retaliatory tariffs will add another $31 million—totaling $231 million, or $1.15 million per day.
• A small copper manufacturer had nine truckloads of copper rod sitting at the Canadian border waiting to go through Customs when the tariffs went into effect, leading to 388,000 pounds of copper goods being returned to the supplier. If the tariffs remain in effect, bringing copper—a critical manufacturing input—into the U.S. would cost the manufacturer nearly $50,000 per truckload going forward.

“To mitigate the adverse effects of today’s tariffs, manufacturers call on President Trump and Congress to implement a comprehensive manufacturing strategy that would create predictability and certainty to invest, plan and hire in America. This strategy includes the following actions:

1. Make President Trump’s 2017 tax reforms permanent and more competitive now. When President Trump signed these tax cuts into law, it was rocket fuel for manufacturing in America and made the U.S. economy more competitive on a global scale. That fuel is about to run out as key provisions have expired, and others are about to lapse. If Congress fails to act, it will cost America 6 million jobs, including more than 1.1 million manufacturing jobs. We must ensure these historic, pro-growth manufacturing provisions are made permanent and even more competitive so manufacturers can plan, grow and succeed.
2. Restore regulatory certainty. Manufacturers are spending $350 billion each year just to comply with regulations—money that could be spent on expanding factories and production lines, hiring new workers or raising wages. President Trump has taken action already to streamline burdensome regulations starting with lifting the liquefied natural gas export ban, but we need to move faster to deliver on our industry’s potential.
3. Expedite permitting reform to unleash American energy. President Trump is already ending the war on America’s energy producers, but there is more work to do. America should be the undisputed leader in energy production and innovation, but we will not reach our full potential without permitting reform. We are seeing opportunities for energy dominance fade in the face of a permitting process that takes 80% longer than other major, developed nations.
4. Strengthen the manufacturing workforce. Over the past year, we have averaged 500,000 open manufacturing jobs in America—well-paying, life-changing careers. Manufacturers are struggling to fill critical jobs. We need a real workforce strategy that ensures we have the talent to grow, compete and lead.
5. Implement commonsense trade policies that open global markets fairly and effectively. Building things in America only works if we can sell them around the world. That’s why we’re urging President Trump and Congress to provide greater predictability and a clear runway for manufacturers to adjust to new trade realities, while also making way for exemptions for critical inputs, enabling reciprocity in manufacturing trade.

“Manufacturers are investing in America in record numbers, and President Trump is focused on strengthening manufacturing in the United States to grow our nation’s economy. We look forward to working with President Trump as he works to advance policies that will help manufacturers thrive and prosper because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

-17�Թ�����-

The 17�Թ����� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 17�Թ����� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 17�Թ����� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

Biopharmaceutical company Lilly will build four new manufacturing sites across the U.S., it announced Wednesday at a Washington, D.C., press conference. The event was attended by 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Indiana Sen. Todd Young and Lilly Executive Vice President and President of Manufacturing Operations (and 17�Թ����� board member)��Edgardo Hernandez, among others.

What’s going on: Three of the planned manufacturing campuses will focus on producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, reshoring “critical capabilities of small molecule synthesis and further strengthening Lilly’s supply chain,” the company said in a . The fourth site will “extend [Lilly’s] global parenteral manufacturing network for future injectable therapies.”

• The investment in the four sites will bring Lilly’s total U.S. capital expansion commitment to more than $50 billion since 2020.
• Lilly—which in recent years has made $23 billion worth of investments in new research and manufacturing sites in the American South and Midwest—is in talks with several states about building the facilities there, but it is accepting additional from states until March 12.

The anticipated benefit: The four sites are expected to create more than 3,000 permanent skilled jobs and more than 10,000 construction jobs during building, according to the company.
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The tax reform factor: Lilly’s planned expansion reflects “decades of research and dedication,” Timmons said at the event announcing the investment. It “is the culmination of sustained planning made possible by the certainty created through smart public policy—particularly the 2017 tax reforms that President Trump … championed back at a meeting of the 17�Թ����� Board of Directors in September 2017.”

• Many of those manufacturing-critical reforms have been allowed to expire, however, and others will expire at the end of the year—unless Congress acts, and soon, Lilly Chair and CEO David Ricks said.
• “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act legislation passed in 2017 during President Trump’s first term in office has been foundational to Lilly’s domestic manufacturing investments, and it is essential that these policies are extended this year.”

Keep the momentum going: Lilly’s announcement shows other manufacturers “exactly why [they] have reason for optimism and confidence,” Timmons went on. “But to keep this momentum going—to encourage more groundbreaking investments, more job creation and more life-changing innovation—a comprehensive manufacturing strategy must become the reality … because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

The House late Tuesday approved a Republican budget blueprint for President Trump’s tax-cut and border-security agenda (, subscription).

• 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons the move “a historic, pivotal step to[ward] advanc[ing] a comprehensive reconciliation package that will preserve” critical pro-manufacturing tax reforms and unleash “American energy dominance.”

What’s going on: “The measure is a preliminary step to extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts later this year,” Reuters reports. “Tuesday’s vote sent the budget resolution to the Senate, where Republicans are expected to take it up.”

• The plan—which calls for $4 trillion to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending reduction over 10 years—also includes measures to increase domestic energy development and production.

Why it’s so important: Congress must capitalize on the momentum of the budget resolution’s passage by preserving the crucial tax reform measures from President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Timmons continued—because “[e]very day we wait means jobs and opportunity lost.”

• “As part of the comprehensive, commonsense manufacturing strategy that America needs, protecting tax reform will strengthen our industry and our communities. It’s time to continue this momentum and act now to Make America Great for Manufacturing Again. When manufacturing wins, America wins.”

What’s next: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)�� he anticipates passing the tax, energy, border-security and defense items via reconciliation by the first week of April.

“Humtown is more than just a business. It’s a legacy,” says CEO Mark Lamoncha. The 60-year-old Columbiana, Ohio–based metal casting company has had three generations of Lamoncha leaders, starting with Mark’s father, Russell, who founded it as a small pattern shop in 1959. Today, Humtown is able to keep that legacy alive—and growing—in large part due to tax policies that support innovation, investment and job creation.

The benefits: When tax reform introduced full expensing for capital expenditures and research and development in 2017, Humtown reinvested its tax savings in expanding its operations, hiring more workers and purchasing more equipment,��Lamoncha told attendees at an event at the Ohio Statehouse, part of the 17�Թ�����’s .

• “Since the 2017 tax reform, Humtown has invested over $9 million in capital expenditures related to 3D printing and averages around $100,000 annually in R&D costs,” said Lamoncha, noting that a single 3D printer can cost upward of $1 million.
• “Under the 2017 tax reform, we were able to deduct 100% of those costs, generating around $1.6 million in accelerated tax savings. That amount alone allowed us to purchase another 3D printer,” he added.
• These investments represent a huge benefit not only to Humtown, but to the larger supply chain it serves. Thanks to 3D-printing toolingless technology, Humtown recently fulfilled an urgent order of essential parts from an EV manufacturer, which traditional tooling would not have produced in time. The result: “Their new product launched 22 weeks ahead of schedule—proving that smart tax investments drive real-world innovation and success,” said Lamoncha.

The threat: As these and other tax provisions get phased out, Humtown is facing a painful increase in costs. Already, it is paying an additional $365,000 in taxes, which is “cutting back on our ability to reinvest in our team, new equipment and our growth plans,” said Lamoncha.

• But the cost for the manufacturing economy is much greater, he pointed out. “Every day Washington delays a tax deal, businesses are forced to second-guess investments, hold back on hiring and rethink expansion plans. For a small or medium-sized manufacturer, that’s the difference between adding a new production line or standing still—and, for some, staying in business.”

The wider community: The threat to tax reform will not only harm Humtown, but prevent it from investing further in partnerships that benefit its entire community.

• Humtown partners with Youngstown State University to educate students in grades 4–12 about 3D printing. The company houses a 3D sand printer purchased through the Ohio Third Frontier Grant program that is used mainly for educational programming.
• In this “hands-on, peer-led learning experience,” students are taught both digital file creation and manufacturing processes, and then lead their peers through the factory as “career ambassadors,” Lamoncha explained. (Watch one 9th grade group’s experience .)
• Initiatives like these prepare young people for stimulating, high-paying careers in manufacturing, while ensuring manufacturers have enough young workers to keep growing in the decades to come.

The bottom line: “[V]isionary leaders like Jay Timmons and the 17�Թ����� team are fighting to restore U.S. manufacturing—moving us from just 10% of GDP back to 25% or more. But let me be clear: this won’t happen unless we align state and federal policies to make America the best place in the world to build, create and manufacture,” said Lamoncha.

• “We have the talent. We have the technology. And we have the opportunity. Now, we need the commitment.”

Washington, D.C. –��17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the passage of the House budget resolution:

“Today, the House has taken a historic, pivotal step to advance a comprehensive reconciliation package that will preserve President Trump’s job-creating tax reforms of 2017, while also unleashing American energy dominance.

“Manufacturers urge Congress to move with a sense of urgency. Every day we wait means jobs and opportunity lost. As part of the comprehensive, commonsense manufacturing strategy that America needs, protecting tax reform will strengthen our industry and our communities. It’s time to continue this momentum and act now to Make America Great for Manufacturing Again. When manufacturing wins, America wins.”

-17�Թ�����-

The 17�Թ����� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 17�Թ����� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 17�Թ����� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

Manufacturers need an integrated, comprehensive strategy for expanding their sector, and a large part of that is preserving and bringing back tax reforms, 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons on CNBC’s “The Exchange” Wednesday.

What’s going on: Timmons spoke to the news channel from a teacher workroom at the Energy Institute High School in Houston, Texas, a stop on the first leg of the 17�Թ�����’s . He told show host Kelly Evans that any plans to bolster manufacturing in the U.S. must “start with renewing those tax reforms from 2017.”

• “A smart strategy is going to involve reducing the cost of doing business for manufacturers here in the United States,” he said, Republican House leadership for being “able to move” forward a House budget bill “that’s going to set the framework for those tax rates to be set, hopefully, permanently in stone.”
• The 665-student Energy Institute High School, led by Principal Lori Lambropoulos, is the first high school in the U.S. dedicated to preparing students for careers in the energy industry.

What else is needed: Timmons echoed some of the major themes from the 17�Թ����� State of Manufacturing Address, which he gave Tuesday in Ohio.

• “We also are looking at regulatory reform,” he told Evans. “We’re looking at expanding our energy dominance. We’re looking at workforce policy … and then, of course, we have to have a sensible trade policy as well.”

But back to taxes: Bringing back expired provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and making them and other, scheduled-to-expire provisions from the legislation permanent, is critical to manufacturing’s future success, Timmons continued.

• “Ninety percent of my 14,000 members are small and medium manufacturers. Most of them benefit from the pass-through deduction that expires this year. And I don’t think what you want to see is a huge tax increase that will cost in the economy happen if we don’t renew those reforms,” he said, citing data from a recent on the effects of a congressional failure to act on tax reforms.
• “That’s why the Speaker’s actions in the last day or so have been so incredibly important to get this thing moving forward. President Trump actually endorsed that bill—the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ as he calls it—and that will help make America great again for manufacturing.”

��Energy dominance: Also critical to the success of manufacturing and the U.S. economy as a whole: the right energy policies, Timmons said. Promising to “unleash the energy sector,” President Trump lifted the previous administration’s ban on liquefied natural gas exports on his first day in office.

• Yesterday, the 17�Թ����� got to see first-hand some of the effects of that kept promise, when the team visited Freeport LNG’s liquefaction facilities near Houston.
• More than 9,000 construction jobs were created during the construction of those facilities, which now directly employ about 400 people. Their operations have an estimated total positive economic impact on the U.S. economy of more than $5 billion a year.
• “Energy is … a critical national security component,” Timmons said on CNBC.

Emphasis point: The tour also stopped at Bray International, a global leader in flow control and automation solutions, supporting U.S. energy dominance, LNG exports and high-tech manufacturing.

• The visit helped underscore why policies that support manufacturing investment and provide certainty to manufacturers are essential to America’s economic future.

Up next: Today, the 17�Թ����� is in Alabama, where this morning Manufacturing Institute President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee gave the Manufacturing Institute’s at Drake State Community & Technical College in Huntsville. (The MI is the 17�Թ�����’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate.)��The theme: building the workforce of the future.

• This afternoon, the team will tour Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Huntsville, the manufacturing facilities of Bruderer Machinery in Huntsville and Milo’s Tea Company in Bessemer.

“Manufacturing in the U.S. has momentum”—and to keep it going, manufacturers will need to push, 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons Tuesday in the 17�Թ�����’s annual State of Manufacturing Address.
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What’s going on: Speaking to an audience of manufacturers and congressional and state officials at Armstrong World Industries in Hilliard, Ohio, Timmons, who was joined by 17�Թ����� Board Chair and Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Operations & Risk Officer Kathy Wengel, emphasized the “defining moment” for the industry and said that for manufacturing, “what happens next really matters.”

• “Uncertainty is the enemy of investment,” he told the crowd. “Manufacturing is a capital-intensive industry. We make decisions months and years in advance. … That’s why we need certainty. We need a clear, actionable, multistep strategy from our government—one that says, ‘We want you to invest here, hire here and succeed here.’”
• Timmons’ annual speech kicked off the 17�Թ�����’s 2025 Competing to Win Tour, starting with a whirlwind four-states-in-four-days tour of manufacturing facilities, schools, government offices and more.
• “In Ohio, manufacturers have thrived because our leaders have taken decisive actions to keep our industry competitive,” Ohio Manufacturers’ Association President Ryan Augsburger said at the kickoff event. But now, “manufacturers across Ohio and the nation are facing critical challenges, from tax uncertainty, project delays and workforce shortages to supply chain vulnerabilities and price pressures that threaten our ability to grow. … These issues cannot wait.”

What manufacturing needs: Certainty from the federal government should come in several forms, Timmons said, including the following:

• Preserving tax reform: The 2017 tax reforms were “rocket fuel” for manufacturing in America—but key provisions have expired and others are scheduled to sunset. Congress must bring them back and improve and extend the package. “Every day that Congress delays because of process and politics, manufacturers face rising uncertainty, delayed investments and fewer jobs,” said Timmons.
• Regulatory clarity and consistency: Manufacturers today spend a total of just to comply with regulations. “Commonsense regulation is critical to American manufacturers to continue to innovate, to compete against foreign manufacturers and to improve the lives of American citizens,” Austin So, general counsel, head of government relations and chief sustainability officer for Armstrong World Industries, told the crowd.
• Permitting reform: President Trump’s lifting of the liquefied natural gas export permit ban was a start, but to reach our full potential as energy leader, we must require “federal agencies to make faster decisions and reduc[e] baseless litigation,” said Timmons.
• Energy dominance: “America should be the undisputed leader in energy production and innovation. But … we are seeing opportunities for energy dominance fade in the face of a permitting process that takes 80% longer than other major, developed nations,” Timmons said, adding that we must cut red tape, require federal agencies to make faster decisions and reduce meritless litigation.������
• Workforce strategy: By 2033, manufacturing faces a shortfall of 1.9 million manufacturing employees, Timmons said. To fill those positions, the sector needs a “real workforce strategy,” one that includes apprenticeships, training programs and public–private partnerships.
• Commonsense trade policy: If President Trump continues to use tariffs, “we need a commonsense policy … that provides manufacturers with the certainty to invest” and “a clear runway to adjust,” according to Timmons.

State of manufacturing: “Manufacturing in the United States is moving forward,” Timmons said. “Like a press at full speed, like a production line firing on all cylinders, like the workers who show up before dawn and leave long after the job is done—manufacturing in the United States is driving us forward.” And Timmons added that now it’s time “to make America Great for Manufacturing Again.”

On the move: Following the speech, Timmons, Wengel and Augsburger joined state lawmakers, including state Sens. Kristina Roegner and Andrew Brenner, and local business leaders for a visit to the Ohio Statehouse for an event focused on the importance of tax reform for Ohio and its manufacturing sector.

• A recent found that, if key provisions of tax reform are allowed to expire, Ohio would risk losing 208,000 jobs and $18.9 billion in wages.

What’s at stake: Tax reform was transformational for Humtown Products, the Columbiana, Ohio–based family-owned sand cores and molds manufacturer, President and CEO Mark Lamoncha told the audience at the Ohio Statehouse tax event.

• “We have been at the forefront of 3D-printed manufacturing for years and have invested significantly in the machinery and equipment required, including the purchase of 3D printers—one of which can easily cost over $1 million,” he said.
• “Since the 2017 tax reform, Humtown has invested over $9 million in capital expenditures related to 3D printing and averages around $100,000 annually in R&D costs. Under the 2017 tax reform, we were able to deduct 100% of those costs, generating around $1.6 million in accelerated tax savings.”
• “That amount alone allowed us to purchase another 3D printer, fueling continued growth. That’s what tax certainty allowed us to do. But right now, that certainty is slipping away. As these provisions begin to expire, our tax burden is increasing.”

Creators Wanted: The group also fit in a stop at Columbus State Community College, which serves approximately 41,000 students, to visit with students in the semiconductor and mechanical drive classes.
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The last word: The 17�Թ����� recently “stood shoulder-to-shoulder with congressional leaders—delivering a clear, urgent message on tax reform” and is “driving the agenda on regulatory certainty, on energy dominance, on permitting reform, health care and workforce development,” Wengel told the audience. “The 17�Թ����� is not waiting for Washington to act; we are making sure Washington acts for you, for manufacturers.”

• Added 17�Թ����� Executive Vice President Erin Streeter: “The 17�Թ����� is on [these issues], and we’re going to keep fighting, as we do every day with the right leaders, the right strategies and the right vision for the future.”

Washington, D.C. – 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s recent executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council:

“President Trump is moving quickly to unleash America’s full energy potential by establishing the National Energy Dominance Council, setting America up to lead on energy and secure our energy independence. This action demonstrates President Trump and his administration’s commitment to ensuring manufacturers have the energy they need to drive economic growth.

“On day one, President Trump declared the United States will be a manufacturing nation, lifting the moratorium on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits—one of the 17�Թ�����’s top recommended regulatory actions for the Trump administration to tackle. This was a significant move that will bolster our energy sector, strengthen our position in the global market and ensure manufacturers in America have the energy resources they need to power economic growth here at home.��We look forward to working with President Trump and the administration to improve the processes for permitting for all energy sources, which this action also addresses. The federal permitting system is broken—delaying projects that would create jobs, secure supply chains and reinforce America’s competitive edge.

“The National Energy Dominance Council, under the leadership of Interior Secretary Burgum and Energy Secretary Wright, will help power the future of manufacturing in America because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

-17�Թ�����-

The 17�Թ����� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 17�Թ����� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 17�Թ����� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

The Securities and Exchange Commission this week reversed Biden-era guidance that required publicly traded companies to include environmental and social activist shareholder proposals on proxy ballots ().

What’s going on: In a move that 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons a “depoliticiz[ation of] the proxy process” and “a crucial plank of President Trump’s pro-manufacturing deregulatory agenda,” the SEC rescinded Staff Legal Bulletin 14L, which had allowed activists to mandate consideration of social policy proposals on corporate proxy ballots—even when the policies in question were unrelated to a company’s business.

Why it’s important: SLB 14L “empowered activists at the expense of manufacturers and Main Street investors—turning the proxy ballot into a debate club, forcing businesses to court controversy and divert resources from growth and value creation,” Timmons continued.

• Replacing SLB 14L with the new SLB 14M “return[s] the SEC’s review of shareholder proposals to a company-specific process based on relevance to a business’s operations and its investors’ returns,” which will “allow manufacturers to focus on what they do best: investing for growth, creating jobs and driving the American economy.”

What we’ve been doing: Since SLB 14L was adopted in 2021, the 17�Թ����� has been a leading voice calling on the SEC to .

• Most recently, the 17�Թ�����, along with more than 100 manufacturing associations, for President Trump more than three dozen regulatory actions the new administration could take across federal agencies to boost the manufacturing economy and end the regulatory onslaught—including rescinding SLB 14L.
• The 17�Թ����� also has President Trump’s nominee to chair the SEC, Paul Atkins, to take steps to depoliticize the proxy process.