Statement of Dan DiMicco, CPA Chairman:
“The Coalition for a Prosperous America supports the decision of Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to initiate an investigation into auto and automotive parts imports under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Act and whether they put at risk United States’ national security. America’s national security is built upon industrial leadership in many industries, including our automotive supply chain capacity, world-leading quality, and our cutting edge research and development capability. In the motor vehicle and parts industry, as in many others, military capability is inseparable from civilian capability. A nation cannot maintain a state-of-the-art military advantage without leading-edge production and the innovation that goes with it. The high cost and complexity of modern research and development requires that these capabilities must be shared between civilian and military uses.”
Statement of Michael Stumo, CEO of CPA:
“The US auto, parts and components supply chain has been weakened by growing imports, which now account for 48 percent of passenger vehicles purchased in the US. The industry must be strong enough, and profitable enough, to support development now and in the future. The decline of our auto industry, including a 22 percent decline in industry employment since 1990, reflects the unfair global market in which many of our competitors use industrial strategy, subsidies and misaligned exchange rates to erode our domestic industry. The US needs a healthy automotive supply chain, including manufacturing, assembly, innovation and skilled workers.
Essential parts of today’s and our future automotive supply chain include materials, engineering, electronics, computerization, wireless network communications, tooling, machining, plastic mold building and artificial intelligence. The US government must ensure leading-edge capabilities in all these areas to preserve our future national and economic security. We look forward to the Commerce Department’s investigation results.”
