Congress maintains a strong interest in the health of U.S. manufacturing due to its central role in the U.S. economy and national defense. Manufacturing USA is a network of institutes focused on facilitating the development and commercialization of emerging manufacturing technologies. The existing network consists of 16 institutes sponsored by the Departments of Commerce (DOC), Defense (DOD), and Energy (DOE) and co-funded with private sector partners.

The program traces its roots to President Obama’s FY2013 budget proposal to create a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) to help accelerate innovation by investing in industrially relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications, and to support manufacturing technology commercialization by bridging the gap between the laboratory and the market. The proposal sought $1 billion in mandatory funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the DOC to establish up to 15 NNMI institutes. Congress did not act on the proposal in the 112th Congress.

President Obama renewed his call for an NNMI in his FY2014 budget request, seeking $1 billion in mandatory funding, and in FY2015 with a request for $2.4 billion in discretionary funding to establish up to 45 institutes. Congress did not provide the requested funding. In the absence of explicit authority and dedicated appropriations, the Obama Administration, relying on existing agency authorities and appropriations of DOD and DOE, began to establish NNMI institutes.

In December 2014, Congress enacted the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014 (RAMI Act), as Title VII of Division B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235). The act directed the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Network for Manufacturing Innovation program at NIST. The RAMI Act authorized NIST, DOE, and other agencies to establish institutes, and established a National Office of the Network for Manufacturing Innovation to oversee the program and coordinate the network.

Section 1741 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (P.L. 116-92) amended the RAMI Act. Among its provisions, the act codified the 2016 rebranding of the program by DOC as the Manufacturing USA program, expanded the scope of potential technology focus areas for institutes, established required and permissible activities for each institute, and authorized the designation of “substantially similar” institutes as Manufacturing USA institutes for purposes of participation in the network. P.L. 116-92 also authorized the Secretaries of Commerce and Energy and other agency heads (except DOD) to make financial awards of five to seven years in duration to establish Manufacturing USA institutes, and to renew the awards subject to merit review. Further, P.L. 116-92 eliminated a RAMI Act provision requiring consideration be given to whether a proposed institute could function without long-term federal funding, and authorized appropriations for Manufacturing USA institutes and network support for NIST through 2030 and for DOE Manufacturing USA institutes through FY2024.

While P.L. 116-92 addressed a variety of issues associated with the Manufacturing USA program, institutes, and network, Congress might opt to consider a number of other issues moving forward. Among these are the appropriate number of institutes; potential limitations on institute renewals; selection of technology foci for future institutes; the level and type of appropriations to be made to support the institutes and network; the purpose(s) of the Manufacturing USA network; recognition of institutes as Manufacturing USA institutes; participation of other institutes in the network; applicability of financial and performance reporting requirements; establishment of short- and long-term performance goals; the role of the federal government in the Manufacturing USA program after 2030; and the long-term financial stability of the institutes in the absence of federal baseline funding.