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Washington, D.C. – Following the publication of new final guidance by the U.S. Department of Treasury for the hydrogen production tax credit, 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“America leads when we unleash all our energy potential, including hydrogen, American natural gas, nuclear and more. With a strong build-out of hydrogen production facilities, we will be able to add more sources of reliable energy for manufacturers, power plants and communities while cementing our energy dominance.

“The 17�Թ����� has advocated consistently for flexibility in the credit using project-specific emissions data rather than national or regional averages. The Biden administration’s guidance provides manufacturers with an important step forward. But for hydrogen to truly become a game-changing energy source, we need to address restrictions that make it harder to cost-compete on a global scale. A robust and flexible hydrogen industry will also be a major boon to the production and utilization of American natural gas as well as American nuclear power.

“Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we have an opportunity to cut taxes, slash red tape and unleash permitting reform—turning this credit into a powerful tool for American energy leadership and fuel security. It’s time to build on this momentum and ensure these incentives deliver on their full promise for America’s manufacturers, workers and economy.”

-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 $2.91 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 support the policy recommendations laid out in the House of Representatives’ newly released on artificial intelligence, the 17�Թ����� said Tuesday.

What’s going on: The Bipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence contains AI-related recommendations for implementation by Congress.

• Drafted by the House AI Task Force—12 Republicans and 12 Democrats—the 273-page document “highlights America’s leadership in its approach to responsible AI innovation while considering guardrails that may be appropriate to safeguard the nation against current and emerging threats,” the task force’s co-chairs, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA), wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) at the beginning of the report.

The details: The task force report includes many recommendations that the 17�Թ����� supports, including the following:

• Promote innovation: “As the global leader in AI development and deployment, the United States is best positioned to responsibly enable the potential of this transformative technology for all. To maintain this leadership and enable the U.S. economy to harness the full benefits of AI, policymakers should continue to promote AI innovation.”
• Safeguard against harm: “A thoughtful, risk-based approach to AI governance can promote innovation rather than stifle it.”
• Plan for power needs: “Planning properly now for new power generation and transmission is critical for AI innovation and adoption.”
• Develop an AI-ready workforce: “Successful collaborations between educational institutions, government and industries should effectively align education and workforce development with market needs and emerging technologies.”
• Protect privacy: Congress should “[e]nsure privacy laws are generally applicable and technology-neutral.”
• Make compliance feasible: Lawmakers should ensure that AI regulatory compliance is not unduly burdensome for small businesses
• Increase cooperation: Bolster collaboration between the government, industry and academia to boost innovation and expand markets.

17�Թ����� alignment: In May, the 17�Թ����� released “,” its own report on AI’s deployment in the manufacturing sector and an accompanying list of suggested policy actions for Congress to take.

• The 17�Թ����� briefed legislators on its report in September.

Next steps: The 17�Թ����� will work closely with policymakers in Congress and the incoming administration to bolster AI innovation in manufacturing, based on shared policy goals. ����

Additionally, manufacturers will continue to call on Congress to pass federal data privacy legislation that “preempt[s] state privacy regulations [and] resolve[s] conflicting requirements in different states”—an important issue for the use of AI where the House report does not prescribe a policy solution.

The 17�Թ����� is President Trump to reconsider the Biden administration’s misguided findings regarding new liquefied natural gas export permits, following the release of a Department of Energy study claiming that increased permit numbers would have negative effects on the nation.
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What’s going on: The Department of Energy’s analysis, released Tuesday, holds “that ‘unfettered’ shipments of the fuel would make domestic prices rise … [and would] displace more renewables” ().

• However, the “report from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is clearly a politically motivated document designed for an audience who believes no form of carbon-based energy is acceptable,” 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons said. “LNG exports play a crucial role in reducing emissions by providing cleaner energy alternatives to countries reliant on higher emission sources.”�� ��

What the ban’s done: The result of the Biden administration’s —issued in January—on the issuance of new U.S. LNG export permits has been “chilled energy investment, costing the country manufacturing jobs and holding us back from achieving energy dominance on the world stage,” Timmons continued.

• “The DOE’s report claims to be concerned about security, but the actions of this administration on LNG only serve to incentivize Europe to purchase natural gas from Russia.”����

A popular, key energy source: U.S. LNG is far cleaner than Russian LNG (). Furthermore, an October by the 17�Թ����� and PwC found that U.S. LNG is a significant and crucial contributor to gross domestic product, as well as an important source of jobs and federal, state and local taxes.

• What’s more, Americans want to keep exporting it. In a March 17�Թ����� of 1,000 registered voters, more than 87% said they believe the U.S. should continue to export LNG.������

The bottom line: “The data is clear: LNG exports are a driving force for economic growth and job creation in the United States,” Timmons concluded. “Halting LNG export licenses as suggested would threaten nearly a million jobs and undermine our nation’s economic stability. The 17�Թ����� asks President Trump to end this political war on the energy manufacturers that power our economy, fuel job growth and help ensure America’s national security.”��

Washington, D.C. – Following the release of Congress’ year-end government funding package, 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the inclusion of pharmacy benefit manager reforms:

“Manufacturers commend House Speaker Mike Johnson, committee leadership and reform champions for their work on a government funding package that tackles rising health care costs via important PBM reforms. The 17�Թ����� has long championed congressional efforts to rein in PBMs, underregulated middlemen that increase health care costs for manufacturers and manufacturing workers. The government funding package released today will increase transparency into these powerful actors, ensure they pass rebates on to patients and plan sponsors and delink their compensation from drug costs. These are vital steps toward lowering Americans’ health care costs—the top business challenge facing manufacturers, according to the most recent Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey—and Congress should act swiftly to pass this package of much-needed reforms.

“Although permitting reform was not included in the final package, we are confident that President Donald Trump will continue to focus on the urgent need to enact comprehensive permitting reform. We look forward to working with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Speaker Johnson and their colleagues in congressional leadership to ensure manufacturers can build a more prosperous nation.”

-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 $2.91 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��.

Washington, D.C. – The 17�Թ����� today responded to the Department of Energy’s report on liquefied natural gas exports and highlighted the harmful impact of the DOE’s misguided attempts to restrict new LNG export terminals.

A comprehensive study conducted by the 17�Թ�����, in collaboration with PwC, reveals that robust LNG export operations could support more than 900,000 jobs, contribute up to $216 billion to U.S. GDP and generate $46 billion in tax revenue by 2044. Furthermore, the LNG sector supports approximately 222,450 jobs, resulting in $23.2 billion in labor income, and contributes $43.8 billion to the national GDP.

“Today’s report from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is clearly a politically motivated document designed for an audience who believes no form of carbon-based energy is acceptable. LNG exports play a crucial role in reducing emissions by providing cleaner energy alternatives to countries reliant on higher emission sources,” said 17�Թ����� President and CEO Jay Timmons.

“The result of the LNG export ban that has been in place since January is chilled energy investment, costing the country manufacturing jobs and holding us back from achieving energy dominance on the world stage. The DOE’s report claims to be concerned about security, but the actions of this administration on LNG only serve to incentivize Europe to purchase natural gas from Russia.

“The data is clear: LNG exports are a driving force for economic growth and job creation in the United States. Halting LNG export licenses as suggested would threaten nearly a million jobs and undermine our nation’s economic stability. The 17�Թ����� asks President Trump to end this political war on the energy manufacturers that power our economy, fuel job growth and help ensure America’s national security.”

-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 $2.91 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��

In its current form, the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent proposal to add specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and PFAS categories to a database of toxic chemicals would place an unnecessary hardship on manufacturers, the 17�Թ����� the agency recently.
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What’s going on: In October, the EPA published draft rules that would add 16 individual PFAS and 15 PFAS categories representing more than 100 individual PFAS to its Toxic Release Inventory, a list of potentially hazardous chemical release and waste management activities taking place in the U.S.

• Companies producing or manufacturing products with chemistries added to the TRI are required to complete and submit inventory forms each year for the chemicals they make and use over established limits.
• “The 17�Թ����� believes this proposed rule will create unduly burdensome compliance requirements and increase costs for manufacturers and consumers as written,”��17�Թ����� Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen said this month.

What should happen: The EPA should “adopt the following approaches to the proposed rulemaking”:

• Stay the proposal to give the public more time to comment on it.
• Revise the proposed PFAS and PFAS category additions to reflect “a meaningful baseline of scientific evidence” and ensure that “the scientific evidence justifying the listing[s] [is] supported by peer review and public comment.”
• List individually every PFAS added to the TRI and make each one identifiable.
• Narrow the group of PFAS listed as “chemicals of special concern” to reflect the scope of authority granted to the EPA by the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

Why it’s important: “While the EPA estimates this proposed rule would result in up to 1,110 TRI reporting forms annually at an estimated cost of up to $6.6 million for its first year and up to $3.1 million for subsequent years, we anticipate the compliance costs to manufacturers will be significantly higher,” Phalen continued.

• If finalized as written, the rule will force manufacturers to hire additional workers and consultants, train employees on proper reporting processes, spend huge sums of money on testing and verifying results and much more.
• The result: “a costly drain on [manufacturers’] resources … [that] will lead to a rise in operational and production costs far above the EPA’s cost estimates for the proposed rule.”

The regulatory onslaught facing manufacturers has “reached a fever pitch” over the past four years, but the incoming administration can turn things around, the 17�Թ����� and more than 100 other manufacturing associations told President-elect Trump and his Cabinet today.

What’s going on: “You have the opportunity to tackle this challenge by addressing burdensome regulations that are stifling investment, making us less competitive in the world, limiting innovation and threatening the very jobs we are all working to create right here in America,” the groups wrote to the president-elect.

What they said: The letter outlines a pro-manufacturing regulatory agenda based on more than three dozen regulatory actions the administration can take starting on Day One. Key highlights include the following:

• Instituting a “regulatory reset”: The 17�Թ����� and its partners are calling on the incoming administration to “stop the trend of overreaching regulations that seek to expand agencies’ authority” and instead focus on tailored rulemakings based on robust collaboration with the industry.
• Lifting the LNG export ban: President-elect Trump should undo the Biden administration’s January moratorium on liquefied natural gas export permits. A protracted pause would jeopardize 900,000 jobs and $250 billion in U.S. gross domestic product, according to a recent 17�Թ����� study.
• Easing the permitting burden: “The United States’ out-of-date permitting laws and procedures are holding back progress and restricting manufacturers’ ability to compete globally,” says the letter. The Trump administration should accelerate the permitting process for critical energy infrastructure, create enforceable deadlines and provide regulatory certainty to manufacturers.
• Reconsidering NAAQS PM2.5 and maintaining the existing NAAQS ozone standard: In February, the Environmental Protection Agency announced an unworkably stringent National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The Trump administration should relax the PM2.5 rule and maintain the existing NAAQS for ozone—a standard the European Union has set more than 70% above the current U.S. threshold—when it comes up for review in 2025.
• Replacing unbalanced power plant rules: The Trump administration should replace the EPA’s new rules for existing coal-fired and new natural gas–fired power plants with workable standards.
• Depoliticizing the proxy process: In recent years, the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken steps to empower activist investors and proxy advisory firms. The incoming administration should rescind damaging standards, such as Staff Legal Bulletin 14L, which requires companies to include activist proposals on their proxy ballots, while preserving and protecting much-needed reforms from the first Trump administration, including the landmark 2020 proxy firm rule.

Other asks: The group also urged the new administration to:

• Reverse the trend of overly burdensome and unworkable chemicals regulations, such as the Biden administration’s PFAS rules;
• Take decisive measures to protect manufacturers’ intellectual property rights;
• Narrow the scope of proposed cyber incident reporting requirements; and
• Reconsider the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s damaging “walkaround” rule and more.

Ready to move forward: America’s manufacturers are committed to a regulatory environment that “truly supports manufacturing, innovation and American prosperity”—and they are “ready to move forward” with the president-elect to “make America’s manufacturing sector unstoppable.”��

Pharmacy benefit managers are driving up health care costs for employers and employees alike—and they must be reformed as soon as possible, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and other members of Congress said at a bicameral, bipartisan Capitol Hill Wednesday.

What’s going on: Rep. Carter, Sen. Lankford and other lawmakers—including Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Nanette Barragan (D-CA)—are calling on House and Senate leadership to advance PBM reform legislation in Congress’ year-end lame-duck session.

• The House passed a bipartisan PBM reform bill last December, and seven congressional committees—in both the House and Senate—have approved PBM bills during this Congress.
• The 17�Թ�����, long a champion of commonsense PBM reform, offered manufacturers’ strong support for the lawmakers’ efforts.

What they said: “Democrats and Republicans [alike] … recognize that PBMs are decreasing the accessibility, the affordability and therefore the quality of health care in America,” said Rep. Carter, who showed the crowd photos of real patients facing difficulties accessing medications due to PBMs.

• “Congress must act before the end of the year to save our constituents’ lives. That’s why I’m leading a bipartisan letter to the House and Senate leadership urging them to prioritize PBM reform during end-of-year negotiations and ensure that the bipartisan efforts we have worked on through the 118th Congress are enacted into law.”
• Added Rep. Miller-Meeks, sponsor of the 17�Թ�����-backed DRUG Act: “Every American who utilizes prescription medications experiences the impact that PBMs … have on our health care system. Patients everywhere—and our independent pharmacists—deserve a health care system where patients always come first.”

Why it’s important: PBMs often dictate the prices that patients pay at the pharmacy counter—and their business model incentivizes them to increase those prices for their own benefit.

• PBMs take a cut of a drug’s list price and pocket a large portion of rebate savings that are supposed to go back to patients and employers.
• In addition, they operate without transparency into their pricing decisions, making it more difficult for employers to reduce prices or access savings.

Now’s the time: “We want leadership to be able to take [PBM reform legislation] up in the end-of-the-year package,” Sen. Lankford said at the press conference. “We don’t want to tell … patients, ‘Wait another two years and maybe we’ll get into it in the next session.’ Let’s actually get into it in this session.”����

17�Թ����� advocacy: The 17�Թ����� has been at the forefront of the fight for PBM reform. Last month, it launched a seven-figure ad campaign urging the passage of reforms during the lame-duck session.��������

The last word: “Manufacturers and manufacturing workers are facing increasing and unsustainable health care costs as a direct result of PBMs,” said 17�Թ����� Managing Vice President of Policy Chris Netram. “Manufacturers agree with Rep. Carter and the bipartisan, bicameral members of Congress calling for reform: Congress must act urgently—in the lame-duck session—to increase transparency, lower health care costs and protect manufacturing workers.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, the 17�Թ�����, along with more than 100 manufacturing associations, sent a to President Donald Trump laying out a roadmap for regulatory actions across a wide range of agencies that would boost the manufacturing economy and put a stop to the regulatory onslaught that is costing manufacturers each year.

Manufacturers have made the case that unbalanced, unworkable regulations severely impact our ability to grow and create jobs. Today’s letter lays out specific steps the new administration can take to reverse the trend of federal agency overreach—providing much-needed regulatory certainty to manufacturers and empowering the industry to continue to make the long-term investments that drive job creation, growth and economic competitiveness here in the United States.

The letter states, in part:

Dear President-elect Trump,

Right now, regulations are strangling our economy. Manufacturers are shouldering enormous regulatory compliance costs—nearly $350 billion annually, or 12% of our entire sector’s contribution to U.S. GDP. For smaller manufacturers with fewer than 50 employees, these costs can exceed $50,000 per employee each year. This means that a small manufacturer with just 20 employees pays $1 million per year to comply with federal regulations—rather than investing those funds in raises or new jobs.

The regulatory onslaught reached a fever pitch during the Biden administration. Prior to the election, the 17�Թ����� surveyed the industry and found a significant decline in optimism among manufacturers, with an unfavorable business climate, particularly taxes and regulations, cited as a primary business challenge by more than 60% of respondents.

You have the opportunity to tackle this challenge by addressing burdensome regulations that are stifling investment, making us less competitive in the world, limiting innovation and threatening the very jobs we are all working to create right here in America.

The letter highlights more than three dozen regulatory actions the Trump administration can take to support manufacturing growth, including the following:

• Liquefied Natural Gas Export Ban: On Day One of your administration, lift the pause on LNG exports through an updated national interest assessment.
• Permitting Reform: Appoint an official within your administration to help coordinate policies across the executive branch to ease the permitting burden. Specifically, your administration should start by prioritizing a reconsideration of the “NEPA Phase 2 Rule” and the current implementation of the permitting reform provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone: Reconsider and relax the Biden administration’s NAAQS for PM2.5 rule and maintain both the primary and secondary standard for the NAAQS for ozone rule at 70 parts per billion.
• Power Plant Rules: Replace the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule for existing coal-fired and new natural gas–fired power plants with workable standards.
• Proxy Advisory Firms and the Proxy Process: Rescind Staff Legal Bulletin 14L and end the politicization of the proxy process. Additionally, enforce and preserve the 2020 proxy advisory firm rule while taking steps to build on its reforms with additional policies modeled on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2019 proposal.

To view the full letter and list of regulations, click .

Background:

In 2023, the 17�Թ�����, along with members of the 17�Թ�����’s Council of Manufacturing Associations and Conference of State Manufacturers Associations, launched the Manufacturers for Sensible Regulations coalition to address the impact of the regulatory onslaught coming from federal agencies.

An 17�Թ�����-commissioned on the cost of federal regulations to the U.S. economy shows the following:

• The total cost of federal regulations exceeds $3 trillion each year, an amount equal to 11% of U.S. GDP.
• Federal regulations cost the manufacturing sector about $350 billion per year.
• Small manufacturers with fewer than 50 employees face disproportionate regulatory burdens, incurring costs of more than $50,000 per employee per year to comply with federal regulations.
• Since 2012, there has been a $465 billion increase in aggregate regulatory compliance costs.

-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 $2.91 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��.

Washington, D.C. – Today, the 17�Թ����� voiced manufacturers’ support for efforts led by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) to bring much-needed reform and transparency to pharmacy benefit managers. The 17�Թ����� is a champion for PBM reform given that these underregulated middlemen drive up health care costs for manufacturers and manufacturing workers.

Following a press conference hosted by Rep. Carter to announce a bipartisan effort with dozens of members of Congress to push for PBM reform in the lame-duck session of Congress, 17�Թ����� Managing Vice President of Policy Chris Netram released the following statement:

“Manufacturers and manufacturing workers are facing increasing and unsustainable health care costs as a direct result of PBMs. Manufacturers agree with Rep. Carter and the bipartisan, bicameral members of Congress calling for reform: Congress must act urgently—in the lame-duck session—to increase transparency, lower health care costs and protect manufacturing workers.”

Background: Last month, the 17�Թ����� launched a urging Congress to pass PBM reform legislation this year.

The 17�Թ�����’s Q3 2024 found that 78% of small manufacturers with fewer than 50 employees cite rising health care costs as a primary business challenge—the top concern among small business respondents in the survey.

To view the 17�Թ�����’s latest digital ad, click .

-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 $2.91 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��