Davids Joins Manufacturers, Highlights $5 Million Federal Grant Strengthening Local Supply Chains

(Edwardsville, KS) - Today, Representative Sharice Davids toured Varsity Yearbook in Edwardsville to highlight the $5 million in funding for Kansas Manufacturing Solutions (KMS) to continue providing services and support to local manufactures. Based in Lenexa, KMS is the only federally supported Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program Center in the state of Kansas. 

“I’m excited to see this funding in action and am thankful that our local manufacturers have such a strong partner in Kansas Manufacturing Solutions,” said Davids. “This grant will allow KMS to continue their important work by helping Kansas business owners succeed in building more here at home and tackling issues like inflation, strengthening our supply chains, and more.” 

The grant funds come from the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Funding will aim to address work shortages in the manufacturing industry with new approaches to employee retention, and by aligning the local manufacturing workforce with the demands of modern manufacturing environments.

Davids has been working to address global supply chain issues and lower costs for businesses and consumers since coming to Congress. She was a staunch supporter of the CHIPS and Science Act, which helps:

• Lower costs for American consumers by making more critical semiconductor components in America, helping to end the shortage of chips that have driven up the price of everything from cars to consumer goods;
• Create 100,000 new, good-paying jobs nationwide by supporting local workforce development;
• Turbocharge American research and development by ensuring that the technologies of the future are made here at home.

Davids’ additional work to strengthen domestic manufacturing and boost supply chains include:

• Holding multipleroundtables with Kansas business, manufacturing, and technology leaders on how recent legislation to improve supply chains will help boost their business' financial security.
• Cosponsoring the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, a law aimed at addressing supply chain snags and reducing dependence on goods produced outside of the United States.
• Meeting with President Biden at the White House to urge him to pass a supply chain and economic package that invests in American manufacturing.
• Voting to pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act to shore up the food and agriculture supply chain, ensure fair competition in the meat and poultry sectors, and lower food and gasoline costs.
• Introducing the SUPPLIES Act, which would create a $100 million grant program for small and medium manufacturers that shift their production to make PPE and testing supplies during future public health emergencies. It would also prioritize manufacturing these supplies domestically, reducing our country's dependence on foreign countries for medical supplies and eliminating price gouging of life-saving materials.

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