National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement following President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection:
President Biden took office amid a global crisis: a pandemic of historic proportion. Beginning with the early days of his transition, manufacturers were proud to continue working with the White House as our country mobilized to distribute vaccines and to reopen our economy.
Since then, manufacturers also joined with President Biden to deliver historic wins for our industry and our country: a bold, bipartisan infrastructure law that had eluded us for far too long; the game-changing CHIPS and Science Act, which invests in our economy and our national security, and significant incentives for domestic energy development along with initial reforms to our permitting system.
In under four years, President Biden built a substantial legacy.
To be sure, we have our disagreements, but even when we disagree, the administration has been sure to seek out manufacturers’ input, and that is the approach we would want to see from any president: an open door and a listening ear.
For manufacturers, our focus has been and will remain on policy—not politics, personality or process. So while the commentary and coverage will likely focus on campaigns and candidates, we are focused on what we can still achieve.
We have seen significant manufacturing job growth in recent years, and there are now more manufacturing jobs in America than at any point since 2008. We will continue working with President Biden until he passes the torch to the next commander in chief.
President Biden may not have predicted that we would also face a global crisis of democracy: a crisis that became most evident the day Russia brutally invaded Ukraine. Yet he has rallied the world to the cause of democracy, been a steadfast ally of Ukraine, just as manufacturers have been, and taken great strides to strengthen our institutions.
This challenge is unlikely to subside before he leaves office, which means it is up to all of us to work with the next president to continue restoring faith in our principles, our institutions and democracy itself.
As he concluded his inaugural address, President Biden encouraged all of us, saying, ‘So, with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time—sustained by faith, driven by conviction and devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts.’
May we continue moving forward in that spirit today.
