MEMA wants meeting with VP Pence

United States Vice President Mike Pence

The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association wants to make sure vehicle parts suppliers’ views are known to the United States government and are requesting a meeting with some of the top officials in the White House.

The MEMA has written to Vice President Mike Pence and Wilber Ross, the secretary of commerce. The goal is “to set meetings to discuss issues of top importance to motor vehicle parts suppliers,” the group said in a news release.

As there has been talk from the Trump administration to grow U.S. manufacturing jobs, the MEMA wants “to work closely” with the government on that task as well as take part in any talks that will have a direct effect on “the supplier industry, including trade, tax reform, and regulatory reform.”

In a letter to Pence signed by Steve Handschuh, the association’s president and chief executive officer, he said that his group “strongly supports the administration’s vision of strengthening manufacturing jobs throughout the U.S. We stand ready to actively participate in discussions about trade, tax reform, and streamlining our regulatory system. Our industry’s participation in these discussions is critical.”

“Our industry’s participation in discussions regarding free trade agreements is critical.”

Steve Handschuh, MEMA

In his letter send to Ross, he touted the leading role suppliers play in job creation and the national economy. “Our industry’s participation in discussions regarding free trade agreements is critical,” Handshuh.

Earlier this month, the MEMA announced it backed plans to boost jobs and strengthen the country’s competitiveness on a global scale. The group called for “a simplified, more predictable tax code that would generate investment, economic growth, and job creation in the United States.”

However, it does not support ideas like a border adjustment tax that would see imported goods — like cars and car parts — taxed at 20 per cent, or even more. Such a move “could disrupt the integrated supply chain for many companies and cause a ripple effect throughout the U.S. economy,” the MEMA said when it announced its position.