Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) President Dennis Slater made the following statement on Wednesday regarding the outcome of the 2016 elections:
America’s voters have spoken, and on behalf of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and our more than 900 members, I congratulate President-elect Trump on winning the presidency after a long and hard-fought campaign this year.
The 2016 campaign made clear that Americans are tired of gridlock government and fatigued after an unrelentingly negative election. Our elected officials now need to soothe our political discourse by coming together to advance sound public policy that will drive job creation and economic growth.
The good news is that this election campaign highlighted the many issues on which Americans are united, along with manufacturers. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made the case this election season as to why we must make a substantial effort to not only repair our existing infrastructure, but also to develop a long-term vision for U.S. infrastructure that accommodates economic growth and rapidly emerging technologies. We stand ready to work with President-elect Trump to help advance this critically important policy priority.
A number of our elected officials have also spoken about infrastructure investment in the context of comprehensive tax reform. AEM members support commonsense and pro-growth tax reform that helps make U.S. manufacturing more competitive vis-à-vis our global trading partners, while also preserving important manufacturing investments and protecting U.S. jobs.
Our new president and leaders in Congress must also work together to address the strong anti-trade and foreign investment positions taken by candidates on both the right and the left this election season. We cannot undermine U.S. manufacturers’ global competitiveness for the sake of politically expedient soundbites.
Our elected leaders must also address falling farm incomes, move swiftly to advance a new Farm Bill and protect important safeguards for agricultural producers, such as the crop insurance program and the Renewable Fuel Standard.
To advance these important priorities, our new president and the 115th Congress must avoid the same partisan brinksmanship that has exacerbated political discord in Washington. A divided government cannot continue to be an excuse for inaction or executive overreach.
That is why the men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry stand ready to work with President-elect Trump, Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell to advance our shared priorities and promote manufacturing growth in America.
