While most of the questions for President Biden were about the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery, AEM made sure that the focus was squarely on equipment manufacturing during the 48 hours leading up to Tuesday’s town hall in Milwaukee.
AEM launched a full-court press to raise awareness of the equipment manufacturing industry and the association’s policy agenda, including the need for a competitive tax and regulatory system, modern infrastructure, free and fair trade, and a 21st-century workforce.
Fox News and Fox Business broadcast live from AEM member company Husco in Waukesha, Wisconsin throughout the day, discussing the policy priorities that will help the equipment manufacturing industry and previewing what the 2.8 million men and women of the industry were hoping to hear from the President. “[The President] is in Wisconsin. He is focused on manufacturing. I think that’s a really important first step. If I had one message to give him, it would be ‘let’s get a big infrastructure bill passed. Infrastructure would be a big boost for equipment manufacturers,’” said Austin Ramirez, AEM Director and president and CEO of Husco, live from the hydraulic and electro-mechanical components manufacturer’s shop floor.
AEM’s message for President Biden was front and center throughout the day, including on Varney & Co. with Stuart Varney, Cavuto: Coast to Coast with Neil Cavuto, and The Claman Countdown with Liz Claman.
In addition to the cable news coverage, AEM’s effort, which also included print, cable, digital, and billboard advertising in Milwaukee and inside the Beltway, was covered by Punchbowl News, POLITICO’s Morning Transportation and Influence, and The New York Times. “The Association of Equipment Manufacturers separately took out a full-page ad in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel urging Mr. Biden to support U.S. manufacturing initiatives, including replacing the country’s aging infrastructure. ‘The future should be made in America by American workers…,’” read part of the paper’s coverage of the town hall.
AEM’s Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations Kip Eideberg kicked off the effort with multiple radio and cable TV appearances. On Saturday, he joined CNN’s Mark Preston for his SiriusXM show, Full Stop, to preview the townhall. And the next morning, Eideberg joined Fox & Friends to discuss policies that will strengthen U.S. manufacturing and help equipment manufacturers invest in their communities and create more family-sustaining jobs. Then, just hours before President Biden landed in Milwaukee, Eideberg spoke with David Westin on Bloomberg Radio’s Balance of Power to highlight what equipment manufacturers were hoping to hear from the President.
“We need some relief, we need some recovery, but more than anything else we need to crush this virus, we need to get a handle on the pandemic, and we need to put Americans back to work and open up the economy. But if we're talking about stimulus, we think infrastructure is the way to go,” Eideberg told Westin.
While President Biden was not given the chance to address the challenges and opportunities facing the equipment manufacturing industry, AEM continues to work closely with the White House to highlight the association’s policy priorities and discuss ways to work together to strengthen it. The Biden administration and Congress remain laser focused on pandemic response and recovery, and AEM will relentlessly make the case that the right policies will ensure the industry is poised to lead the economic recovery. This means making a significant investment in our nation’s infrastructure and promoting policies that make the industry more competitive in the global economy.
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