ICYMI: Davids Celebrates Independence Day by Making it in America
Yesterday, on Independence Day, Representative Sharice Davids penned a guest column in the Kansas City Star onmaking more goods in America, supporting our local workforce and manufacturing, and fixing our supply chain. Davids is one of two Kansas lawmakers selected to serve on a bipartisan leadership committee working to finalize a pro-manufacturing and supply chain bill in Congress.
Read Davids' column in the Kansas City Star:
"As we gather this Fourth of July with friends and family, we might celebrate with fireworks, parades and burgers — myself included — but what we're really celebrating are our American values.
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But over the last few decades, we've lost jobs — lost entire industries — overseas. That became unavoidably clear as the pandemic upended the global economy and tangled supply chains. But the reality is that we've been reliant on goods made in other countries for far too long, and it's been steadily eroding our competitive edge.
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These supply chain snags are driving up prices for folks at the car dealership, in the grocery store and at the gas pump. We need to reverse the trends and invest in American workers and American manufacturing. Strong domestic industry will avoid costly delays and bring down inflation.
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It means building resilient, flexible supply chains. We have a convergence of supply chains here in our area, from rail to air cargo to trucking. Agricultural goods, consumer products, and raw materials come through here on their way to other states and other countries. As I tell the folks in Washington often, if the Kansas 3rd District is moving, America's moving. And that means we are uniquely positioned to help win this supply chain battle — with the right policy.
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This Independence Day, I'm calling on my colleagues in the House and the Senate to join me. There's no better way to celebrate our history than by reinvesting in American innovation and standing up to China. We've made good, bipartisan progress so far, and I stand ready to continue our work across the aisle and get this legislation to the president's desk."
Watch Davids' video message on this subject HERE.
Davids has visited several Kansas businesses in recent months as she works to address supply chains and inflation, from battery manufacturers to medical suppliers to the General Motors plant in Wyandotte County that idled last year due to the chip shortage. The House version of the supply chain bill, known as the America COMPETES Act, contains several priorities for Kansas, including investments in domestic semiconductor "chip" production. It also includes Davids' amendment, which would ensure small businesses are considered in upgrades to our medical supply chain, not just big corporations.