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Published first here: https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2021/04/us-secretary-commerce-gina-raimondo-joins-senator-jeanne-shaheen-new
By Gina M. Raimondo
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo joined New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen yesterday in Hampton, New Hampshire to meet with local travel and tourism business leaders on the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses and how the American Rescue Plan (ARP) is helping economic recovery efforts. Following the tourism roundtable, Secretary Raimondo and Senator Shaheen toured AeroDynamics manufacturing facility in Seabrook and discussed the importance of the American Jobs Plan in helping to strengthen domestic manufacturing.
During the roundtable discussion, Secretary Raimondo stated that the travel and tourism industry is vital to America’s economic recovery and that the Biden Administration is working round-the-clock to provide economic recovery assistance. With the passage of the historic American Rescue Plan, the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) will allocate $750 million to help communities who have suffered job losses in the travel, tourism, or outdoor recreation sectors.
“As the former Governor of Rhode Island, I understand the importance of travel and tourism to New England’s economy and was honored to join Senator Shaheen to hear from local business leaders first-hand about how COVID-19 has impacted this critical industry in New Hampshire,” said Secretary Raimondo. “Thanks to the passage of the American Rescue Plan, the Commerce Department is allocating $750 million to help the travel and tourism industry. I applaud Senator Shaheen for her work to build New Hampshire’s economy back better, stronger, and more equitably from the pandemic.”
“I’m so glad Secretary Raimondo chose New Hampshire for her first trip as head of the U.S. Department of Commerce,” said Senator Shaheen. “Yesterday, she heard firsthand from Granite Staters what they have experienced on the ground during the COVID-19 pandemic and what they want to see in an infrastructure plan that invests in our communities and industries, fixes our aging infrastructure, promotes economic growth and creates new jobs. As our roundtable discussion in Hampton highlighted, the American Jobs Plan is a bold opportunity to deliver on priorities that are critical to the Seacoast and all of New Hampshire, such as repairing our roads, ports and waterways, addressing our drinking water infrastructure and expanding access to high-speed internet. I look forward to working with Secretary Raimondo, the Biden administration and Senators on both sides of the aisle to meet the vital infrastructure needs of our nation.”
Secretary Raimondo and Senator Shaheen later visited Aerodynamics, Inc, a small women-owned manufacturing business located in Seaport that is focused on metal finishing and plating primarily serving the aerospace and defense industry. AeroDynamics is part of the Commerce Department’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which enhances the productivity and technological performance of U.S. manufacturing across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Through additional CARES Act funding, the New Hampshire MEP was able to assist AeroDynamics with training and technical assistance which not only allowed them to not only stay afloat during the pandemic, but to grow the company.
“Investing in domestic manufacturing is critical to American competitiveness and creating good-paying jobs,” said Secretary Raimondo. “I’m proud of the Commerce Department’s Manufacturing Extension Program in supporting local manufacturing businesses like AeroDynamics, which are essential to growing local economies, creating jobs and strengthening our supply chains. With the American Jobs Plan, we have an opportunity to scale programs like MEP to help American manufacturers thrive.”
“If we are to revitalize our infrastructure, investing in our local manufacturers and American workers must be a top priority,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit AeroDynamics with Secretary Raimondo to highlight the importance of empowering women-owned businesses and providing our local small and medium-sized manufacturers with the support and tools they need to stay competitive in a 21st Century economy. I also appreciated hearing more about the important work the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Program does in support of Granite State manufacturers, which is why I worked to boost funding for this important program in the Senate. I’ll continue to prioritize policies like the American Jobs Plan that respond to the needs of our manufacturers and help them achieve further success.”
Investing in domestic manufacturing is critical to U.S. competitiveness and creating good-paying, higher wage jobs. It is also essential to economic and national security. Through the American Jobs Plan, President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $50 billion dedicated to monitoring domestic industrial capacity and funding investments to support production of critical goods and ensure that are produced in the U.S. The American Jobs Plan also proposes strategic investments in job and skill training to ensure the U.S. workforce can fill the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Published first here: https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2021/04/us-secretary-commerce-gina-raimondo-joins-senator-jeanne-shaheen-new