Pappas Helps Pass Amendment to Bolster U.S Manufacturers Hurt by the COVID-19 Pandemic and Support American Jobs

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) passed an amendment to a key FY 2021 funding package that will designate $1 million in funding for the Department of Commerce to provide support through the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) program to companies whose supply chains have been disrupted by the pandemic.

"Support for manufacturing jobs in New Hampshire is critical as we fight to rebuild our economy in the midst of the deepest economic downturn in decades," said Congressman Pappas. "Manufacturers across our state have been forced to contend with severe disruptions to their supply chains as a result of the pandemic, and this amendment will encourage investments in Manufacturing Extension Partnerships to help Granite State companies overcome these challenges and ultimately bring back manufacturing jobs unfairly lost to overseas competitors."

"A key component of overcoming COVID-19 and rebuilding our economy must be supporting made in America and made in New Hampshire manufacturing," said Zenagui Brahim, President of New Hampshire MEP. "An increase in funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships, including MEP NH, will help us provide additional resources to help more Granite State companies become world-class manufacturers, create good, high-paying jobs as our economy recovers, and make up for supply chain limitations caused by the pandemic."

The amendment authored by Reps. Gottheimer and Pappas was accepted as part of a larger appropriations package which includes spending bills for Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Service and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) is a public-private partnership with centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers. Last year, MEP Centers interacted with 28,213 manufacturers, leading to $15.7 billion in sales, $1.5 billion in cost savings, $4.5 billion in new client investments, and helped create or retain 114,650 jobs.

Pappas has fought to grow made-in-America manufacturing at home. He supported the bipartisan USMCA trade deal, and met with business leaders shortly after the deal went into effect to hear how it would impact their businesses.

In February, he joined the NH delegation to announce over $51 million in federal funds awarded to Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) in Manchester to develop a portable technology that would chemically engineer and produce medications and vaccines. In June, they announced that ARMI would also receive $399,138 in federal funding through the bipartisan CARES Act for the creation and development of a roadmap to bolster America's domestic supply chain for vaccines and personal protective equipment.