Casey outlined three-pillared plan to invest in workers and communities, revitalize domestic manufacturing and industry, and confront the threat posed by the Chinese government
Casey: “America is strong when our workers are strong and when we build our economy up from our workers, not down from the boardroom.”
Read Senator Casey’s full remarks HERE
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), alongside union workers and business leaders in Pittsburgh, delivered his vision for the United States to take control of its future by investing in American workers and communities, revitalizing domestic manufacturing and industry, and combatting the growing threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s economic aggression.
In his remarks, Senator Casey said, “America is strong when our workers are strong and when we build our economy up from our workers, not down from the boardroom; when we invest in manufacturing in all of our communities, including small towns and rural areas. America is strong when we can provide for the least among us; when our alliances are strong and based on shared democratic values; when our domestic and foreign policy is grounded in democratic values. We are strongest as a Nation when we support workers, the middle class, and those striving to lift themselves into the middle class.”
In addition to Senator Casey, labor and business leaders, including Matt Smith of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and Angela Ferritto of the PA AFL-CIO, also made the case for investing in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.
“Bolstering the manufacturing industry is key to global competitiveness and building thriving communities across the United States. There is an opportunity through reshoring and innovation for manufacturing to grow and evolve far into the future, and we want to ensure that it happens and that it happens here in the Pittsburgh region,” Matt Smith, Chief Growth Officer, Allegheny Conference on Community Development said. “With our region’s skilled workforce, innovation assets, manufacturing expertise, public-private partnerships and a competitive open-for-business mindset we are setting the stage for future success throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond.”
“The manufacturing industry in Pennsylvania owes its strength to union workers, who were there when our nation needed skills and strength during the industrial booms of the 19th and 20th centuries,” Angela Ferritto, President, PA AFL-CIO said. “Union workers across Pennsylvania are ready to step up once again to ensure Pennsylvania remains a manufacturing powerhouse, while heling meet the needs of our nation. Senator Casey has watched the manufacturing industry evolve – always staying at the table with workers – and we are proud that he has positioned Pennsylvania workers to help lead the nation through an exciting period of transformation and growth.”
Senator Casey’s speech envisioned a Nation that invests in American workers and families, and the communities where they choose to live and raise their children. He argued for raising the minimum wage and continuing the fight for prevailing wages on federally-funded projects, as Democrats are doing through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Senator Casey also urged the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act because workers have the fundamental right to organize and use their voices to collectively bargain for better wages, safer working conditions, and a secure retirement.
Senator Casey stressed the importance of revitalizing American manufacturing to reassert the United States’s economic might and take control of its future, highlighting legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is making transformative investments in our roads, bridges, airports, while creating good-paying jobs, and improving access to clean water and reliable high-speed internet for millions of Americans; the CHIPS and Science Act, which is investing in American technology, innovation, and the manufacturing of essential semiconductor chips to enable American manufacturers to compete with China; and the Inflation Reduction Act, which is ensuring American manufacturing is at the forefront of our clean energy industry while reducing energy costs as we tackle the climate crisis. All three of these once-in-a-generation laws were passed by Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
Finally, Senator Casey highlighted the critical need for a strong response to the threat the United States faces from the Chinese Communist Party—which seeks to circumvent our trade laws, steal American technology, and cheat and bully its way to global economic dominance. The Chinese Communist Party has undermined U.S. industrial markets by expanding subsidies for steel, aluminum, solar panels, transportation, and other critical infrastructure. Senator Casey warned that without action, China will keep doing the same for other key emerging technologies like AI, semiconductors, biotech, and robotics. In response, Senator Casey highlighted his National Critical Capabilities Defense Act to help the U.S. better understand the risks created by outsourcing manufacturing and technological know-how to foreign adversaries. His proposal would give the U.S. government the authority to screen investments going to countries like China and help de-risk our supply chains.
Read Senator Casey’s full speech on “Countering Chinese Influence by Investing in American Workers and Manufacturing” HERE.
