Science Committee Members Blast Trump Administration for its Attack on American Manufacturing
(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, funds for ten of the 51 centers that make up the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) were withheld by the Trump administration. The ten centers are in the following states: Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The Trump administration has notified these centers that they will no longer receive funding, effectively ending the programs. It is anticipated that this is the beginning of Trump’s larger plan to end the NIST MEP program.
Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Subcommittee on Research and Technology Ranking Member Haley Stevens (MI-11), and Congresswoman Sarah McBride (DE-at large) made the following statement:
“Trump is gutting American manufacturing,” the Members said. “The NIST MEP program has had bipartisan support for decades. This network empowers small and medium manufacturers in every single state. In order to ‘make it in America,’ we have to strengthen American manufacturing—and that’s exactly what NIST MEP does. With these closures, President Trump is packing up our manufacturing jobs and sending them to China. This will harm state economies, cause devastating job loss, and rip the ‘American dream’ out from under those who work hard to allow us to ‘buy American.’
“What’s more, is that with this plan, Trump and Musk are again stealing from the American taxpayer. These programs already have funding appropriated for this fiscal year. They cannot take back funds that have already been approved by Congress. Manufacturing is the backbone of America. As members of the Science Committee, we will fight back on this shortsighted plan and stand up for hardworking Americans.”
More on NIST’s MEP program:
Authorized in 1988, NIST’s MEP program empowers small and medium-sized manufacturers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico to improve their manufacturing process efficiency, test and integrate new technologies, adopt strong cyber security practices, and strengthen their supply chains.
The funding renewal deadlines for the remaining centers are below:
July 1, 2025: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia
October 1, 2025: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Utah, and Vermont.
Jan 1, 2026: Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
March 12, 2026: South Carolina
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