The 2.3 million men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry make the equipment that builds, powers, and feeds the world. Everywhere you look, equipment manufacturers are keeping people and critical goods moving and powering vital public services and utilities.
Equipment manufacturers continue to prove again and again that we are resilient. But we also face our share of economic, political, and global challenges. The men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry need sound policies to successfully navigate these turbulent times.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers shapes policy at the state, federal, and international levels to ensure that equipment manufacturers can continue to do what they do best: invest in their communities, grow their businesses, and hire more Americans. The 2024 agenda includes a number of policy priorities that will help strengthen the U.S. economy and move the industry forward.
Infrastructure: AEM calls on policymakers to prioritize infrastructure investments in rural, urban, and suburban communities across the country, while creating a sustainable and long-term funding mechanism for America’s infrastructure.
Rural America: AEM urges lawmakers to provide a vital safety net for farmers and ranchers and advance comprehensive policies that will allow producers of all sizes to tap into the latest in agricultural innovation and technology, including the passage of a bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill.
Workforce: AEM supports policies to expand access and eligibility to state and federal career and technical education programs while encouraging young adults to explore family-sustaining careers and vocational opportunities beyond a traditional college education.
Trade: AEM calls on lawmakers to support policies that promote U.S. trade and investment with allies near and far, create a level playing field for U.S. companies competing in global markets, and make goods and services more available and affordable for Americans.
Tax: AEM encourages the adoption of new tax incentives and enhancement of the competitiveness of the tax code to encourage new investment in the United States, make permanent the 20% deduction for business income earned through a pass-through entity, fix provisions of the tax law that make R&D more expensive, and ensure that key incentives for capital equipment purchases remain in the tax code.
Immigration: AEM urges policymakers to strengthen border security, prioritize America’s workforce needs through reforms to legal immigration, reform nonimmigrant visas and temporary worker programs to improve competitiveness, and reform asylum and refugee programs for a more orderly and humane system.
“Now more than ever, we need elected leaders with the courage to reach across the aisle, pursue common ground, and forge lasting solutions to the challenges facing equipment manufacturers across our country,” said Kip Eideberg, AEM senior vice president of government and industry relations. “This year, the AEM Advocacy Team will engage in every step of the process: electing pro-manufacturing leaders, advocating for better laws and regulations, and educating all Americans about the impact of the equipment manufacturing industry.”
We invite you to learn more about the equipment manufacturing industry’s policy priorities and the issues that the Association of Equipment Manufacturers are advocating for in state capitals and in Washington, D.C. To view AEM’s 2024 Policy Priorities brochure, click here.
To learn more about AEM’s advocacy efforts or to get involved, please reach out to the AEM Advocacy Team.
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