U.S. Sen. Jack Reed joined 55 other senators in requesting that the Commerce
Department restore funds to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program,
which helps small business throughout the country with technical assistance,
support services, engineering services and business advice.
The partnership’s budget for fiscal year 2004 is $39 million – 63 percent less
than last year. The loss in funding has prompted the partnership to close regional
offices and reduce business services to small manufacturers, Reed’s office said.
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In a letter to Commerce Secretary Don Evans, the senators wrote, “Restoring
(Manufacturing Extension Partnership) funding is necessary to ensure the sustainability
of our domestic small manufacturing industry and its high-quality jobs.”
Reed said, “The vitality and viability of our manufacturing sector has tremendous
consequences for our state and our nation. Manufacturing provides the employment
that reinforces the social fabric of our communities as well as the economic
bottom line.”
