Tag Archives: US manufacturing

Biden Administration, Economic Development, Economic Policies, Manufacturing

Biden Marking 2-Year Anniversary of Passage of CHIPS & Science Act Cites Historic Achievements

On the two-year anniversary of passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, President Biden issued this statement and the White House issued a Fact Sheet documenting the historic achievement of the act is bringing  back to the USA semiconductor supply chains, creating jobs, supporting American innovation, and is protecting National Security:

“America invented the semiconductor – those tiny chips that power electric vehicles, appliances, cell phones, satellites, and are critical in AI. But over time we went from manufacturing 40% of the world’s semiconductors, to just over 10%. When Vice President Harris and I came into office, we were determined to change that,” President Biden stated.

“Since I took office, companies have announced nearly $400 billion in investments in semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, spurred in large part by support from the CHIPS and Science Act. As a result of these investments, we’re creating over 115,000 manufacturing and construction jobs in the semiconductor industry. And America is now on track to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032, up from zero only two years ago.  

“While there is more to do, my CHIPS and Science Act is bringing chips manufacturing back to America, strengthening global supply chains, and is making sure the United States remains a world leader in AI and other technologies that families, businesses, and our military rely on each and every day.”

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul added,  “Two years ago today, the future of American manufacturing changed – forever. With the stroke of a pen, President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law.

“Since that extraordinary day, New York State has benefitted from unprecedented investments that are transforming our state into a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing. Chip companies have announced over $112 billion in planned capital investments in New York – revitalizing Upstate communities and creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. No other region in America will account for a greater share of domestic production. 

“And we’re not done yet. This critical industry is continuing to expand with major investments from semiconductor businesses and supply chain companies like Micron, GlobalFoundries, AMD, Edwards Vacuum, MenloMicro and TTM Technologies to expand their presence in New York. In July, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a phase two Tech Hub grant of $40 million to the New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor (NY SMART-I Corridor) consortium. Over the next five years, the consortium will serve a critical role in supporting Upstate New York’s continued growth into a globally competitive center of semiconductor workforce development, innovation and manufacturing. 

“For communities that have experienced decades of economic stagnation and neglect, these extraordinary commitments are the beginning of an economic renewal – bringing better schools, better hospitals, safer streets and stronger infrastructure. 

“The CHIPS and Science Act has put New York on the precipice of a defining age of manufacturing and transformed the future for generations of New Yorkers. I’m grateful to Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, the New York Congressional Delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration for their historic efforts and for keeping their promise to the American people.” 

FACT SHEET: Two Years after the CHIPS and Science Act, Biden-⁠Harris Administration Celebrates Historic Achievements in Bringing Semiconductor Supply Chains Home, Creating Jobs, Supporting Innovation, and Protecting National Security 
  
Companies have announced $395+ billion in investments in semiconductors and electronics and the creation of over 115,000 jobs since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office 
  

Two years ago, President Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), aimed at reestablishing United States’ leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, shoring up global supply chains, and strengthening national and economic security. America invented the semiconductor, and used to produce nearly 40 percent of the world’s chips, but today, we produce only about 10 percent of global supply—and none of the most advanced chips. The CHIPS and Science Act aimed to change that by investing nearly $53 billion in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and workforce.  
  
Dozens of companies have committed to nearly $400 billion in total semiconductor investments across the country. These investments have been spurred in large part by the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Incentives program, which has signed preliminary agreements with 15 companies across 15 states to provide over $30 billion in direct funding and roughly $25 billion in loans for semiconductor manufacturing projects. These projects will support the creation of more than 115,000 direct construction and manufacturing jobs, with further investments in workforce development and training to come – helping to ensure more chips are made in America by American workers. As a result of these investments, the United States is on track to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032, up from zero percent when President Biden and Vice President Harris took office. 
  
As part of the CHIPS Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has also made regional investments to spur centers of innovation across America through the Tech Hubs program, has made investments to revitalize communities historically overlooked by federal investment through the Recompete program, and is making critical investments in research and development and workforce initiatives across the semiconductor ecosystem.   
  
Two Years of Progress on Semiconductor Manufacturing and Innovation 

In the past two years, agencies across the federal government have developed and executed on programs established under CHIPS to restore domestic semiconductor manufacturing, invest in research and development, support supply chain resiliency and national security, and catalyze economic and workforce development. Key milestones in the Administration’s implementation of CHIPS include: 
  
Reshoring U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing 
  
Thanks to CHIPS Act, the United States will once again be a world leader in manufacturing the semiconductors that power our lives. In the two years since President Biden signed the CHIPS Act into law: 

  1. The Department of Commerce CHIPS Incentives Program announced preliminary agreements with 15 companies, totaling over $30 billion of the total available $39 billion in direct incentives funded by the CHIPS and Science Act. Commerce is on track to allocate all remaining funds with CHIPS grantees by the end of 2024. 
  2. Two years ago, the U.S. produced none of the world’s most advanced chips. Now, America is home to all five of the world’s leading-edge logic, memory, and advanced packaging providers, while no other economy has more than two. Collectively, these fabs will enable the United States to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032.  
  3. The CHIPS Act is creating a robust semiconductor ecosystem by supporting multiple high-volume advanced packaging facilities, expanded production of current and mature-node semiconductors, and critical supply chain components, all by the end of the decade to support critical industries from automobiles and medical devices to artificial intelligence and aerospace.  
  4. The Department of the Treasury continues to work on a final rule on the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit, which provides a 25% investment tax credit for companies engaged in semiconductor manufacturing and producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment. 
      

Creating Jobs and Workforce Pipelines for American Workers 

A centerpiece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is to create good paying job opportunities for Americans across the country. CHIPS has dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to ensuring that America’s semiconductor comeback will serve to benefit American workers. For example: 

  1. CHIPS-funded projects are creating more than 115,000 construction and manufacturing jobs with over $250 million of CHIPS funding earmarked for local community workforce development, the use of which will be guided by local stakeholder input, including from academic institutions, training providers, and labor unions, and federal partners, including the Departments of Labor and Education. These projects will also pay construction workers prevailing wages, which ensures they earn family-sustaining wages and benefits, and include some of the largest Project Labor Agreements in history, establishing that the future of this industry in America will be built by union workers. 
  2. The Biden-Harris Administration launched Investing in America Workforce Hubs in Upstate New York, Phoenix, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio to support the training needed for the growing industries there, including booming semiconductor ecosystems. These are just three of the nine Workforce Hubs across the country which are creating pipelines for Americans to access good-paying jobs in the industries seeing increased investments thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.  
  3. The Department of Commerce expects to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s (NSTC) workforce efforts, including the Workforce Center of Excellence which will collaborate with industry, academia, labor unions, the Departments of Labor and Education, the National Science Foundation, and local government partners to address end-to-end workforce training needs from access to adoption. 
  4. The National Science Foundation (NSF) launched its Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) initiative, a $45.6 million investment to conduct frontier research and develop the future microelectronics workforce. The NSF also announced its inaugural Regional Innovation Engines, 10 locations receiving a $150 million investment with the potential for up to $2 billion in funding over the next decade. 
  5. Companies applying for more than $150 million in grants were required to submit a robust child care plan that reflects the needs of their workers in communities where they plan to build.  Some of the largest projects, such as those of Micron and Intel, have committed to providing affordable, accessible, high-quality child care for thousands of workers across multiple facilities in multiple states. This has already led to a dramatic expansion of benefits including the construction of dedicated child care facilities at multiple project sites as well as discount and reimbursement programs in collaboration with local child care providers. 

  
Accelerating Regional Economic Development and Innovation 

President Biden and Vice President Harris are investing in regions that suffered from disinvestment for too long despite their economic potential. Through the Investing in America Agenda, this Administration is building an economy that brings innovation and opportunity for hardworking American families. The CHIPS Act expanded the suite of place-based investment efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration to build on the momentum of programs under the American Rescue Plan. In the two years since the CHIPS Act was signed: 

  1. The Department of Commerce announced $504 million for 12 Tech Hubs to give regions across the nation the resources and opportunities needed to lead in the economies of the future, such as semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, AI, quantum computing, and more.  
  2. The Department of Commerce is awarding $184 million to six Recompete Pilot Program finalists; creating renewed opportunity in economically distressed communities through good-paying, high-quality jobs. The Recompete Pilot Program targets areas where prime-age employment is significantly lower than the national average and provides flexible and locally-drive investments to support economic comebacks. 
  3. The National Science Foundation announced $150 million for 10 inaugural awards that has already been matched by more than $350 million in commitments from state and local governments, the private sector and philanthropy. These 10 NSF Engines have the potential to receive over $2 billion over the next decade, paving the way toward a new frontier in American innovation.  
  4. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program will announce nearly $54 million in funding that will help small businesses explore innovative ideas and the commercial microelectronics marketplace. 

  
Protecting National Security and Working with Allies and Partners 

In September 2023, the Department of Commerce finalized rules to implement the national security guardrails laid out in CHIPS. These guardrails are preventing technology and innovation funded by the program from being misused by foreign countries of concern and protecting our industrial ecosystem. CHIPS manufacturing funds are also going towards companies building the semiconductors that are essential to our aerospace and defense industries. 

  1. CHIPS grant funds are directly supporting our national security by increasing the supply of critical technologies needed to protect Americans, including the production of chips necessary for critical defense programs including the F-35 fighter jet program, and chips for everyday applications that impact all Americans, from cars to secure Wi-Fi.  
  2. The Department of Defense’s Microelectronics Commons Program has announced an initial $280 million in first year projects to create resilient onshore ecosystems for cutting-edge applications in six key areas: secure edge/internet of things, electromagnetic warfare, 5G/6G, Quantum technology, artificial intelligence hardware, and commercial leap ahead technologies. These projects build off the Commons regionals hubs and are set to kick off, along with additional awards for human, digital, and physical infrastructure, by the end of the year. 
  3. The State Department recently launched the CHIPS Act International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund supported ITSI Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative, which will enhance assembly, testing and packaging capabilities in partner countries including Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica. New partnerships have also been announced with Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya to explore semiconductor supply chain coordination opportunities to develop trust, transparency, and resiliency with our allies across the globe. 
  4. The Department of Commerce announced that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience entered into force on February 24, 2024. This agreement, led by the United States, is ensuring a more resilient, efficient, productive and sustainable supply chain for semiconductors and other industries. 
  5. The Department of Commerce awarded $140 million across 17 projects in its first funding opportunity through the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, which will drive American wireless innovation, competition, and supply chain resilience.   

  
Investing in Innovation 

The semiconductor was invented here in the United States, and America has continued to be a leader in the research and development in semiconductors and some of the most advanced technologies. The CHIPS Act is helping advance those goals by: 

  1. Investing approximately $3 billion in the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) to establish and accelerate domestic capacity for semiconductor advanced packaging which will drive U.S. technological leadership in leading-edge semiconductors and underpin future innovation areas, including artificial intelligence. Over 100 concept papers were submitted for the first funding opportunity and a second funding opportunity for $1.6 billion will be announced in the fall. 
  2. Establishing Natcast, a non-profit, to operate the NSTC to enable rapid adoption of innovations that will enhance domestic competitiveness for decades to come. The Department of Commerce, together with Natcast, announced the focus of its first three CHIPS R&D research facilities: a NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program facility, an NSTC Administrative and Design facility, and an NSTC Extreme Ultraviolet EUV center – which will be complemented by affiliated technical centers.  

Issuing funding opportunities through the Department of Commerce for a first-of-its kind Manufacturing USA Institute focused on the development, validation, and use of digital twins – virtual models that mimic the structure, context, and behavior of a physical counterpart.

Biden Administration, Climate Action, Economic Development, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, News & Photo Features, President Joe Biden

Biden-Harris Administration ‘Ensuring Future is Made in America’

Tritium Announces EV Charger Manufacturing Facility in Tennessee; To Produce Up To 30,000 Buy America-Compliant Chargers Per Year, Create 500 Jobs
 

As part of its effort to increase manufacturing while attacking climate change and transitioning the country to a clean-energy economy, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program provides $5 billion over five years to help states create a network of EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors on the Interstate Highway System. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This fact sheet from the White House details progress the Biden-Harris Administration has made to use a “whole of government” approach to revitalize the United States’ manufacturing base, strengthen critical supply chains, drive down prices, and position American workers and businesses to not just compete but lead the world in the 21st century:

Since his first day in office, President Biden relentlessly focused on an industrial strategy to revitalize our manufacturing base, strengthen critical supply chains, drive down prices, and position U.S. workers and businesses to compete and lead globally in the 21st century. This whole-of-government effort is leading to a historic recovery in domestic manufacturing. During President Biden’s first year in office, the economy added 367,000 manufacturing jobs – the most in nearly 30 years. The U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly 40 years in 2021, and manufacturing as a share of U.S. GDP has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Manufacturing activity has seen a significant expansion every month that President Biden has been in office, consistently above pre-pandemic levels.

The Build America, Buy America Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expands on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to ensure that the future is made in America by American workers by strengthening and expanding Buy America rules to all taxpayer-funded infrastructure and public works projects.

President Biden and Jane Hunter, CEO of Tritium, announced that Tritium will break ground on its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. This facility will house six production lines that will produce up to 30,000 Buy America-compliant DC Fast Chargers per year at peak production and create 500 local jobs.

This is the latest of announcements in recent weeks by major companies announcing investments in U.S. manufacturing and jobs, including Intel, General Motors, and Boeing, and more than $200 billion in investments in domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, electric vehicles, aircraft, and batteries announced since 2021.

In addition to Tritium, EV charging manufacturers large and small are investing and expanding U.S. operations, driven by the Administration’s economic strategy, Made in America policies, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law:

  • Siemens, which is investing and expanding its U.S. manufacturing operations to support electric vehicle infrastructure in America, will produce 1 million EV chargers by 2025. This investment, spurred by the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is the latest in the company’s strategic plan to meet accelerating electric vehicle charging demand, and expand its U.S. manufacturing capabilities.
     
  • ABB, which currently manufactures Buy America-compliant transit bus chargers in the U.S., will expand its US EV charging manufacturing operations, including Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers, over the coming five years, employing hundreds of Americans and producing thousands of EV chargers each year.
     
  • FreeWire Technologies, based in Oakland, California, currently manufactures Buy America-compliant battery-integrated EV charging equipment, and recently announced groundbreaking on a research, manufacturing, and testing facility in Newark, California. FreeWire currently employs and plans to add more than 200 jobs in electrification and clean energy in and around disadvantaged communities this year.
     
  • Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, a Black- and woman-owned EV charger manufacturer based in Detroit, Michigan, will manufacture Level 2 EV chargers and charging connectors in a new production facility in Detroit beginning this summer. Dunamis’ training and workforce development efforts will focus on underrepresented, economically disadvantaged communities most impacted by greenhouse gas emissions.

The future of the auto industry is electric, and America can own that future by building more here at home, creating good-paying jobs in the process. In August, President Biden set an ambitious target and roadmap to get to 50% of electric vehicle (EV) sale shares in the U.S. by 2030. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included a down payment on the EV future, with more than $7 billion in funding to secure an American EV supply chain, from materials processing to battery manufacturing and recycling, along with $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever nationwide public EV charging network.

This charging network will provide a convenient, reliable, affordable and equitable charging experience, with a focus on serving national highway corridors, rural areas, and underserved communities. It will also accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, fight the climate crisis, and support domestic manufacturing jobs.

Later this week, Department of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and Department of Energy Secretary Granholm will announce the state allocations and guidance for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which will provide $5 billion over five years to help states create a network of EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors on the Interstate Highway System.

The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken action to prepare for the build-out of the nationwide public EV charging network.

  • In December, Vice President Harris announced the EV Charging Action Plan to outline the steps the Administration is taking to accelerate the EV charging investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
     
  • In December, the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation announced the creation of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which will support and accelerate deployment of the national EV charging network, including by providing technical assistance to states as they develop their comprehensive EV charging plans.
     
  • Last week, the Department of Transportation released an EV Rural Charging Toolkit, a one-stop resource for rural communities to plan and implement EV charging infrastructure projects.
Biden Administration, Jobs, Joe Biden, Manufacturing, News & Photo Features

Biden Administration Takes Action to Promote Semiconductor Manufacturing in the US; Intel Building $20 Billion Facility

Intel Announces $20 Billion Ohio Facility; Latest Company to Invest in U.S., Strengthen Domestic Supply Chains


President Joe Biden, in his press conference marking the end of his first year in office, rightly touted among his accomplishments efforts to revitalize US manufacturing, thereby addressing supply chain and inflation issues, while also creating well-paying jobs. Intel has announced a new $20 billion factory outside Columbus, Ohio to manufacture semiconductors, critical to US manufacturing © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com via msnbc.

The White House released this fact sheet about how the Biden Administration is bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States:

Semiconductors are an essential building block in the goods and products that Americans use every day. These computer chips are critical to a range of sectors and products from cars to smartphones to medical equipment and even vacuum cleaners. They help power our infrastructure from our grid to our broadband. The United States used to lead the world in global semiconductor manufacturing. But in recent decades, the U.S. lost its edge—our share of global semiconductor production has fallen from 37 percent to just 12 percent over the last 30 years. 

The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the fragility in the global semiconductor supply chain. Experts estimate that the global chip shortage knocked off a full percentage point from U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) last year. U.S. autoworkers faced furloughs and production shut downs due to pandemic-driven disruptions in Asian semiconductor factories, contributing to large increases in the price of cars for U.S. consumers. One-third of the annual price increases in core consumer price index (CPI) last year was due to high car prices alone.

The Biden-Harris Administration has been working around the clock with Congress, our international allies and partners, and the private sector to expand U.S. chip manufacturing capacity, bring back critical American manufacturing jobs, address the chip shortage, and ensure we are not exposed to these disruptions again. Today, Intel will announce a new $20 billion factory outside Columbus, Ohio.

Today’s announcement is the latest marker of progress in the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to ramp up domestic manufacturing for critical goods like semiconductors, tackle near-term supply chain bottlenecks, revitalize our manufacturing base, and create good jobs here at home. This investment will create 7,000 construction jobs and another 3,000 permanent jobs, another sign of the strength of the American economy.

To accelerate this progress, the President is urging Congress to pass legislation to strengthen U.S. research and development and manufacturing for critical supply chains, including semiconductors. The Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) in June and the Administration is working with the House and Senate to finalize this legislation. It includes full funding for the CHIPS for America Act, which will provide $52 billion to catalyze more private-sector investments and continued American technological leadership.

Since the beginning of 2021, the semiconductor industry has announced nearly $80 billion in new investments in the United States through 2025, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. These investments will create tens of thousands of good-paying U.S. jobs, support U.S. technological leadership, and promote security and resilience in global semiconductor supply chains. In addition to Intel’s announcement today, investments include:

  • A $17 billion Samsung factory in Texas – the result of sustained work by the Administration, including the President’s meeting with President Moon of the Republic of Korea in May.
  • Texas Instruments investing up to $30 billion in Texas;
  •  A new Global Foundries factory in New York state;
  • Cree’s intention to spend $1 billion to expand a current plant in North Carolina;
  • SK Group investments in a new U.S. R&D center; and
  • Micron to expanding U.S. production.

The Biden-Harris Administration has led a whole of government effort to secure these critical investments.

  • President Biden prioritized domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research and development (R&D) shortly after taking office, designating semiconductor supply chains as a centerpiece of his national supply chain initiative launched in February 2021.
     
  • In June, the Commerce Department issued a set of recommendations on how to secure the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. Since that time, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese have held regular follow-up engagements with industry leaders and diplomatic partners and allies to advance practical solutions to strengthen the global semiconductor supply chain. This includes White House has met with the CEOs of multiple semiconductor companies in this effort. 
     
  • In October, President Biden hosted a global summit on supply chains with the heads of state from 14 countries and the European Union on the margins of the G20 in Italy to discuss supply chain disruptions, with a focus on semiconductors. The President also focused on semiconductor supply chain resilience in his bilateral meetings with foreign leaders and directed the Administration to cooperate with Europe on strengthening global supply chains through the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council (TTC) and through the Quad’s focus on critical technologies.

Investments in new foundries are critical to the long-term resilience of our semiconductor supply chains. At the same time, the Administration is working to address the near-term disruptions in semiconductor supply chains that have contributed to challenges in a number of manufacturing sectors and to price increases for U.S. consumers.

  • In April 2021, the President hosted a virtual summit with leading firms that produce chips and those that use chips to identify practical ways to discuss actions they could to address the disruptions resulting from the global chip shortage. By the end of the year, the participants had announced new partnerships between semiconductor companies and U.S. automakers to strengthen the resiliency of the automotive chip supply chain.
     
  • In the summer, the Administration worked with governments and companies around the world to mitigate COVID-related disruptions to semiconductor manufacturing and in September 2021 established a global early alert system to identify and address pandemic-related disruptions.
     
  • The Commerce Department promoted transparency in semiconductor supply chains, including through a Fall 2021 survey on the chips shortage to identify the key chokepoints in the semiconductor supply chains. Over 150 responses were received from all parts of the supply chain – producers, consumers, and intermediaries – include responses from nearly all the major semiconductor producers and the major automakers. The results of the survey will be released publicly by the end of January 2021.
     

The U.S. Department of Defense has used Defense Production Act authorities to strengthen supply chains for key defense-related semiconductors.

Donald Trump, Economic Policies, Environment, Manufacturing, Trump Administration

Trump to Auto Execs: Don’t Worry About Environmental Regulations, Permits

Women’s March Protesters kept at a distance from the White House on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Many called for protecting the environment and climate. Donald Trump is dismissive, telling auto manufacturers that environmental regulations “are out of control.” © 2017 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
Women’s March Protesters kept at a distance from the White House on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Many called for protecting the environment and climate. Donald Trump is dismissive, telling auto manufacturers that environmental regulations “are out of control.” © 2017 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

George Condon, National Journal, reports on Donald Trump’s meeting with auto executives earlier today:

The president, accompanied by the vice president, entered the Roosevelt Room at 9:11, shook hands and greeted the auto executives who had been standing around on one side of the table waiting for him and chatting with top administration officials. The executives took their seats at the table and the president gave brief welcoming remarks before the pool exited at 9:16.

Transcript of remarks to come. But the tenor was set even before everybody sat down when he playfully said to two of the executives “start building in the U.S.”

As everyone sat down, he was the gentleman and held the chair for Mary T. Barra of General Motors, saying, “Let me help you with that.” After thanking them for coming, he assured them “you’re not being singled out.” Of job creation, he said, “It’s happening; it’s happening big league.” He added, “We’re bringing jobs back to the U.S. big league.” He talked of regulations and the need to control them. He brought up environmental regs, saying, “I am an environmentalist…. But it’s out of control.” He promised that they would get answers on their permits much faster than they are now.

The president sat in the center chair. To his right was Barra, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of General Motors, then Craig Glidden of GM, then Steve Bannon. Across the table from Bannon was Stephen Miller, then Jared Kushner, the Gov. Matt Blunt, then Mark Fields of Ford, Ziad Ojakli of Ford, Hope Hicks, then Priebus. Back on the president’s side of the table, it was Sergio Marchionne of Fiat to the president’s left, then Shane Karr of the alliance of automobile manufacturers, and Josh Pitcock of the vice president’s office. The vice president sat directly across the table from the president. In other small talk, the president kidded Marchionne about having spent the night flying to get to the meeting. And he wished one of the executives, Mark Fields, a happy birthday.

Here are his notes of what Trump told the executives:

“I want to just thank you all for being here. We have a very big push on to have auto plants and other plants, many other plants. You’re not being singled out, believe me, Mary, I promise. But you have a lot of plants from a lot of different items built in the United States. And it’s happening, it’s happening big league.

“We had Whirlpool up yesterday, we’re talking about big construction facilities. And it’s not the construction I want although that brings jobs. It’s the long term jobs that we’re looking for.

“We’re bringing manufacturing back to the United States big league, we’re reducing taxes very substantially and we’re reducing unnecessary regulations. And we want regulations but we want real regulation that mean something.

“Mark and I were together yesterday and I think we understand that. We’re going to make the process much more simple for the auto companies and for everybody else who wants to do business in the United States.

“You’re going to find this to be from being very inhospitable to extremely hospitable. I think we’ll go down as one of the most friendly countries and right now it’s not.”

“I have friends that want to build in the United States, they go many, many years and then they can’t get their environmental permit over something that nobody ever heard of before. And it’s absolutely crazy.

“I am, to a large extent, an environmentalist, I believe in it. But it’s out of control and we’re going to make it a very short process. And we’re going to either give you your permits or we’re not going to give you your permits. But you’re going to know very quickly. And generally speaking we’re going to be giving you your permits.

“And it is an honor to be with you today.”