By Wade Balkonis, AEM Director of Grassroots Advocacy —
This year, our national grassroots campaign I Make America has continued to host elected officials from both the state and local level at member company facilities, and we stayed the course during the month of October!
The AEM Advocacy Team has traveled to every corner of the country to welcome lawmakers to equipment manufacturing facilities, connecting the dots on what our industry is capable of, how we impact our national and state economies, and how we build, feed and power the world. During the month of October, I Make America was honored to partner with member companies in Washington, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Ohio to bring lawmakers out to the shopfloor to show them the tangible impacts of real-world challenges to manufacturing operations.
Last month, we partnered with Terex AWP Genie to host U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) at the company’s Moses Lake facility, LBX to host U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-Ky) at its Lexington facility, and the Alamo Group to host U.S. Representative Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) at its New Philadelphia plant in Ohio. These visits allow AEM’s Advocacy Team, I Make America, and our members to further relationships with lawmakers who can impact policy change at the state and federal level.
We need pro-manufacturing lawmakers who are willing to step up and go to bat for our industry so that equipment manufacturers can continue to do what they do best: invest in their communities, create family-sustaining jobs, and drive the economy forward. The I Make America campaign allows us to partner with our member companies to advance the conversation about our association’s policy priorities.
As I Make America continues its Equipped to Vote campaign through the midterm elections, it also allows us to engage with employees, families and other supporters on why we must continue electing pro-manufacturing candidates that will fight for us. In just a few short days, Americans will head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2022 midterm elections. Equipped to Vote is supplying the I Make America community with the proper tools to be a well-informed voter come election day. It is imperative that equipment manufacturing communities show up to vote on election day to give a louder voice to the 2.8 million men and women of our industry. We encourage everyone to visit the Equipped to Vote action center to learn more about the issues that drive our advocacy efforts.
Whether it's rural America, trade, or infrastructure, the decisions made by legislators affect our industry from the ground up. From the factory lines to the halls of Congress, together we can ensure our industry is well-positioned to modernize our nation, strengthen the economy, and create new jobs and opportunities.
If you or your company are interested in hosting an elected official for a facility tour, please email me at wbalkonis@aem.org. We would love to partner with you to make this a successful event and to help share the powerful story of the equipment manufacturing industry.
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