My “Build, America, Build Address” in D.C.

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, I was in Washington D.C. where I delivered my “Build, America, Build Address,” laying out my bipartisan vision to work with our federal partners to grow our economy, protect our national security, and bring manufacturing back home. 

Right now, there’s an ongoing, global competition between the United States, China, and other countries to lead the future of advanced manufacturing. To make sure we win, we need to work across the aisle at both the state and federal levels to bring supply chains home and create thousands more good-paying jobs. That’s what the American people expect of us, and we must deliver.

Watch Gov. Whitmer's "Build, America, Build Address"

The American people also expect their government to focus on lowering costs. But with President Trump’s tariffs, they’re getting the opposite—less money in their pockets and more doubts about their future paychecks. This could not come at a worse time. After years of inflation and wages that just won’t keep up, people are struggling.

President Trump’s tariffs are the largest tax hike on the American people in decades, increasing costs from the gas pump to the grocery store. At the same time, retirement accounts are plunging, forcing older Americans to put off their retirement. And home prices will go up, putting the American Dream further out of reach for young people. I believe that we should protect the auto industry and I share the goal of bringing good-paying, middle-class manufacturing jobs back home, but we have to do it right.

That’s why, yesterday, I outlined my plans to work with our friends and compete against our adversaries to bring jobs and supply chains back home and lower costs for Americans.

Together, we can restore the U.S. as the global powerhouse of manufacturing.

It's time to build, America, build!

Sincerely,

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor

What was in Gov. Whitmer’s “Build, America, Build Address”?

Bringing Manufacturing Back to Michigan and America

Growing Michigan’s economy by bringing supply chains home and creating good-paying jobs has been a top priority of my administration since day one. We all want to make more stuff in America.

Our manufacturing industry has a big impact on the health of our economy. When we build, more people have access to affordable housing, better roads, and more transit options. When we don’t build, people leave, creating talent gaps in key resources like public safety and education. Over the last few years, we have seen major progress. Michigan is open for business and on the move, winning manufacturing projects to build data centers, chip factories, and research facilities.

But there is still so much more to do to make more stuff in America.

Making the U.S. a Leader in Shipbuilding

American shipbuilding is struggling, building just 0.1% of the world’s ships. Meanwhile, China alone makes 53%—more than the rest of the world combined. At the federal level, both parties see this as a problem. In December, Republicans and Democrats in Congress introduced the SHIPS for America Act, the most significant, bipartisan legislation to build ships in decades. Last month, during his joint address to Congress, President Trump announced that he will establish a new office of shipbuilding in the White House to address the challenges we face including reduced manufacturing capacity, supply disruptions, and most all, workforce shortages.

In Michigan, we’ve already taken action to address workforce shortages and ramp up shipbuilding.

• Last year, the former Navy Secretary and I launched the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing, or M3, Initiative.
• A few weeks ago, I attended the first-ever M3 graduation ceremony and witnessed the success of some of the Michiganders who now have the skills to start a career in maritime welding or machining, with thousands more to come.

Let’s expand the M3 Initiative statewide and make the State of Michigan a connector between the Navy and our network of 31 Tribal and community colleges across Michigan. We can train thousands more Michiganders who will support ship manufacturing at both the state and national levels, boosting our economy and bolstering our national defense.

Let’s get it done.

Continuing to Lead in Aerospace Innovation

Currently, the U.S. is the world leader in both commercial and military aviation. However, the world, especially China, is catching up. The U.S. has a shortage of nearly 17,000 jets while plane travel continues to grow. China has begun to fill this gap, rapidly expanding their aviation manufacturing industry—military and commercial. China’s largest passenger plane company, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation, COMAC, now makes models competing with the best-selling American-made planes on the market. They are on the verge of joining Boeing and Airbus as a serious competitor. This should be a wake-up call.

In my address, I put forward a plan to beat China, ensuring the U.S. can remain a leader in aerospace innovation. As the automobile capital of the world, Michigan leads the world in manufacturing. If we collaborate at the state and federal levels, we can make targeted investments to retool our factories to make planes, plane parts, and drones.  This is in our blood. During WWII, 42,000 Michiganders rolled a B-24 bomber off the line every hour, 24/7, for a grand total of 8,865. We were able to get it done because the federal government set a clear strategy, slashed red tape, and simplified procurement. Today, Michigan has a manufacturing and innovation ecosystem uniquely suited for modern defense and aerospace needs. Let’s make it happen.

Another problem facing the aviation industry is the shrinking workforce. As a generation of aviation technicians retire, experts estimate that by 2028, we will be short 37,000 aviation techs. To curb this growing problem here in Michigan, we have taken action by:

• Making bipartisan investments in Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a key defense hub and economic anchor that supports thousands of jobs and hundreds of military families in Macomb County.
• Establishing a new statewide Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation.
• Setting up a Transportation Innovation Zone in the heart of Detroit, where our aviation and aerospace startups can easily test new technologies in public airspace.

To go further, we need collaboration between the federal government and Michigan. We need a coordinated, national strategy and bipartisan investment to grow America’s aviation industry and workforce. Otherwise, China will catch up to us. If we are proactive, we can create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, protect our national security, and lower costs for travelers around the world and here at home.

Let’s build and innovate to own the sky.

Bringing Back Semiconductor Chips

Chips are the brains behind so much of what makes our lives work. They’re in our phones, cars, and appliances and critical for AI technology. Decades ago, we invented chips, and we used to make them too.

During President Trump’s first term, we started a serious national conversation about semiconductor manufacturing. A few years later, Republicans, Democrats, and industry leaders came together to do something about it and Congress passed bipartisan legislation to bring chip manufacturing back home.

Now, because we worked together, we’re seeing real progress.

• An example from Michigan, Hemlock Semiconductor expanded in their hometown near Saginaw, with a new facility that will create more than 1,000 jobs.
• Across the U.S., manufacturers have invested more than $600 billion in American chip fabs, supporting thousands of jobs.

We must come together again to continue our bipartisan national strategy to stay on the bleeding edge of chip technology and make more chips in America instead of overseas.

Today, we have a lot going for us, but our future is uncertain. We have good cards, but good cards alone don’t mean jack unless you play them right. I will continue to work with anyone to continue getting things done, grow the economy, and protect our nation.

This year and in the years to come—no matter who’s in the White House—let’s bet on American workers.

Let’s bring chip manufacturing back home. Let’s dominate the seas and own the skies.

Let’s Build, America, Build!