Council President to Congress: America COMPETES Act is Critical to U.S. Prosperity

Washington, DC - 

Today, Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, called for the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act before the House Committee on Science and Technology.   

Specifically, Wince-Smith recommended strengthened STEM education for all Americans; steady increases in federal research funding for long-term basic research across all agencies; and greater coordination across state and federal agencies on innovation policy.  

“I can only emphasize that the importance of these provisions has not waned with the passage of time and the deterioration of the global economy—they are critical to America’s prosperity,” said Wince-Smith.  “Information, knowledge and technology are increasingly commodities.  Rewards do not necessarily go to those who have a great deal of these things, but to those nations who are prepared to create new industries and deploy new products and services.” 

Wince-Smith also emphasized the critical role of manufacturing.  “If we want to see investments, jobs and growth in the United States, we need a vibrant and diversified manufacturing sector. Our national security, energy security and economic competitiveness demand it.  America lacks a strategy for manufacturing competitiveness. We need policies that make America an attractive place to invest – a pro-innovation, pro-investment, pro-growth, pro-opportunity environment.”  

The Council is launching a major initiative to benchmark manufacturing policy incentives, evaluate strategies used by competing nations, and develop an integrated action agenda for U.S. manufacturing.  

The Council on Competitiveness has strongly supported the America COMPETES Act since it was first debated.  It mirrors many of the recommendations in the Council’s 2004 Innovate America report and the 2006 Competitiveness Index.