Responding to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, Dennis Slater, President of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers says that "some of the equipment manufacturers' most important priorities this year depend on a bipartisan effort.”
Slater, on behalf of the 850 companies in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors that he represents,points out that the federal highway bill is set to expire this year.
"Congress and the Obama Administration must work together to pass a long-term bill to provide much needed infrastructure investment in order for our country to stay competitive on the global scale,” Slater said. “Streamlining the permitting process is helpful, but will ultimately mean nothing without the increased investment our infrastructure system so desperately needs.”
Slater also addressed the issue of trade and expressed the group’s support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). He believes these agreemetns are “crucial steps towards strengthening U.S. manufacturers' ability to compete in world markets. We hope to see those completed without delay.”