Ohio Congresswomen Shontel Brown and Marcy Kaptur lead Dems letter to Trump administration demanding answers for freezing Ohio's manufacturing funds...All of Ohio's Congressional Democrats joined in signing the letter...By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader
Brown, Kaptur Lead Ohio House Democrats in Letter to Trump administration demanding answers on frozen manufacturing funds
All Ohio House Democrats join letter seeking information on the status of funding for Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com
Staff article by Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher
Washington, DC – Ohio Congresswomen Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), a Warrensville Hts. Democrat, and Marcy Kaptur, a Toledo Democrat (OH-09), have led a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick expressing concern regarding the abrupt withholding of all federal funding supporting Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The letter is signed by all members of Ohio's Five-Member, largely Black Democratic Congressional Delegation, namely Reps. Brown, Kaptur, Emilia Sykes of Akron, Greg Landsman of Cincinnati and Joyce Beatty, a Columbus Democrat. It requests additional information on the Trump administration's decision to suspend funding, its timeline for resolving a pending audit, and any potential interim measures slated to protect Ohio's manufacturers.
The Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), an office in the Ohio Department of Development, helps Ohio's small and medium-sized manufacturers increase sales, create jobs, and generate cost savings through technological innovation, workforce training, and improved management practices. The state MEP office in Ohio administers the program through six regional partners across the state.
Last week, the Department of Commerce paused federal funding to Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) pending the results of a years-long audit. The unprecedented move threatens six MEP centers across the state, including MAGNET in Northeast Ohio and CIFT in Northwest Ohio.
The letter from the Congressional Dems states in pertinent part, "Ohio is the nation's third-largest manufacturing state by employment, with a diverse industrial base that includes aerospace, automotive, steel, polymers, and defense manufacturing. Prolonged disruption in MEP funding would stall technical assistance efforts, workforce programs, and modernization projects already underway at hundreds of Ohio firms — delaying supply-chain upgrades and jeopardizing statewide economic growth."
"We need answers yesterday on this funding freeze that is creating real uncertainty for Ohio manufacturers, " said Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), who represents the 11th congressional district, which includes Cleveland. "If the Trump administration truly wants to support American manufacturing, they would provide transparency and find a reasonable path forward instead of simply pulling the rug out from under the whole state."
Kaptur's words were just as harsh.
"The Trump administration and Commerce Department's reckless decision to freeze funding to Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership offices will hit small and mid-size manufacturers hard," said Congresswoman Kaptur (OH-09), a Toledo Democrat and the longest serving woman in Congress. If you say you want to help people make it in America, this is a big step in the wrong direction. I thank Congresswoman Brown and my Ohio colleagues for joining me in echoing Gov. Mike DeWine's call to unfreeze these funds."
- Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former President Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
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