By Bob McKenna, President and CEO

There is no more pressing public policy issue facing our nation today than the need to create jobs and stabilize the domestic economy.  As President Obama prepares to address the nation tomorrow night and as Congressional leaders continue to grapple with legislative solutions, MEMA would like to remind elected officials that it is time to set aside partisan politics and work together to find solutions that will move our economy and our nation forward. 

Motor vehicle parts manufacturers are the nation’s largest manufacturing sector, providing nearly 686,000 jobs across the country.  We believe that there are several steps that can be taken now to help manufacturers, including parts suppliers, regain enough confidence to begin growing and hiring again. 

MEMA believes that progress needs to be made quickly in the following areas: 

• Providing businesses regulatory relief and regulatory certainty by examining impacts on job sustainability and creation;
• Spurring trade with passage of the three pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea; and
• Investing in the nation’s infrastructure with passage of a transportation reauthorization bill. 

These and several other steps were outlined in a plan by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce earlier this week.  Additionally, supplier industry specific issues were outlined by MEMA in a letter to Congress earlier this year.  We urge AASA, HDMA, MERA and OESA members to review these proposals, listen to the plans put forth by the President and Congress in the coming days and weeks, and talk to your lawmakers about the policies that would make the biggest impact on your company. 

MEMA is your voice in Washington, DC and in state legislatures across the country.  We will continue to provide analysis and commentary on policy issues through two new social media channels, a regular blog, The Supplier Spin, which will publish its first entry today, and a new Facebook site.  You may also visit the MEMA Action Center to communicate directly with members of Congress.  We hope you will use these tools to learn more about the issues facing the industry and to continue the dialogue with lawmakers on what is at stake. 

Motor vehicle parts manufacturers are a cornerstone of the nation’s economy.  MEMA will continue to weigh in with Congress and the Administration on behalf of AASA, HDMA, MERA and OESA members.  This debate is too important for any of us to sit on the sidelines.