Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association officials maintain MEMA members need additional COVID-19 assistance to assure sector viability.
The organization recently submitted two comments to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance amid hearings on the 2020 Trade Policy Agenda, outlining how motor vehicle parts suppliers have contributed during the COVID-19 pandemic by transitioning from normal operations to manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE).
“MEMA applauds the bipartisan actions of Congress and the Trump Administration to address the national health and economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic,” the organization wrote. “While we deeply appreciate the nearly $3 trillion in relief rapidly passed on a bipartisan basis, many motor vehicle parts manufacturers are still struggling. Recently, almost 20 percent of our members reported a severe liquidity crisis that could lead to bankruptcy in the next eight weeks. These manufacturers are primarily mid-size suppliers. If their operations close or slow production, the entire supply base is jeopardized.”
MEMA advocacy includes avoiding the new tariffs implementation and permanently phasing out existing tariffs against the nation’s trading allies; negotiating North American Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) standards for the United States, Canada, and Mexico; and reshoring domestic manufacturing jobs by establishing measures such as the federal Automotive Component Technology (ACT) grant program.