According to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Michigan’s manufacturing tradition, public education opportunities and policy leadership make it a prime candidate for federal infrastructure investment.
“When you think about places in America that are worth investing in, Michigan is at the top of the list,” Raimondo said Thursday.
Raimondo spoke with Awenate Cobina, chair of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s executive committee, on the third day of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference.
Though Raimondo is a former governor of Rhode Island, near the end of the conversation, Covina gave her “Michigan citizen by marriage” status.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has a variety of responsibilities, including running the Meteorological Service, the Census Bureau, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the International Trade Administration.
Raimondo summarized their role as supporting businesses by providing them with resources, information and infrastructure.
“Our mission, and the common thread through all of them, is to help American companies improve their competitiveness,” Raimondo said. “Sometimes that means leveling the playing field by protecting our technology. Sometimes it means investing in our companies. Often times it means helping American companies export.”
Raimondo highlighted the Biden administration’s Inflation Control Act, which could support government investments in infrastructure like bridges, roads and broadband. Lack of internet access is a major obstacle for small businesses, and the U.S. government is pumping money into states to expand broadband.
The federal government is also investing in solar energy and semiconductors, which power technologies like artificial intelligence systems and electric vehicles. The CHIPS and Science Act, passed in 2022, would pump money into domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and Michigan would get a cut of advanced chip investments, Raimondo said. That could create more jobs in Michigan and make the supply chain more resilient, she said.
“This is where businesses want to be, and that’s why we’re making major investments in your state,” Raimondo said.
Raimondo also stressed the importance of playing a fair game with other countries. Countries such as China produce cheaper EVs than the U.S., but they likely have lower labor costs and receive more subsidies, Raimondo said. The Biden administration should 100% customs duty Raimondo said the measures would apply to all Chinese-made EVs and would help domestic manufacturers and “level the playing field.”
“I want American businesses to be able to compete with the world and win,” Raimondo said. “No one does it better than American entrepreneurs, American business owners, American small businesses, and if there’s a level playing field, we’re going to win every time we compete.”
The two also discussed artificial intelligence, with Raimondo saying the Commerce Department is working on building a system to test AI models at scale to ensure they are deployed safely, and that AI could also help make manufacturing more efficient.
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