VIDEO OF THE BRIEFING  TRANSCRIPT

Senator John Ensign and Senator Blanche Lincoln hosted a discussion on the future of U.S. Manufacturing and its relevance to the U.S. economy in the 21st century on May 12, 2005.

While the service sector continues to grow at a rapid pace, manufacturing is a smaller percentage of the U.S. economy than at any time in the past fifty years and the decline shows no sign of abating. Yet, America remains the world's top producer of manufactured goods, which remain, in many ways, the primary currency of international trade.

In a recent report by the Council on Competitiveness, it was argued, "we must put aside the growing perception that America will inevitably lose its manufacturing edge," because making things does matter in the 21st Century and, in fact, is a critical part of any national long-term economic growth strategy.

If this assertion is true, how do we stop the negative growth trend in manufacturing? How can America compete in a sector increasingly reliant on low cost labor available globally? What innovations and opportunities do we risk losing and what impact will that have on our economic security if we become a nation of ideas that are produced elsewhere? On May 12, 2005, a panel of experts discussed these and other related issues.

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