Trump Budget Proposal Would Defund Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs)
The White House released its proposed federal budget for 2018 today, and a number of manufacturing programs would either face drastic cuts or see their federal budgets eliminated entirely.
Most notably, in the Department of Commerce budget, the $124 million outlay for Manufacturing Extension Partnerships would be eliminated entirely. MEP, which has been in existence in 1988, is a public-private network of centers assisting small and medium-sized manufacturing firms with research and development, process improvement and job creation and retention.
Manufacturing USA, a network of nine manufacturing innovation institutes around the U.S. (with six more planned for the end of 2017) would see its budget cut by 70% to $15 million. The institutes focus on a cross-section of manufacturing innovation, from 3D printing in Youngstown, Ohio, to advanced functional fabrics in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which provides employment and training services for adults, dislocated workers, and youth would decrease by 39%.
Here’s a sampling what the Twittersphere had to say about the budget proposal as it relates to manufacturing:
