More than 50 equipment manufacturing executives and staff from AEM converged on Capitol Hill last week for the 2025 AEM Fly-In. Together, they held nearly 100 meetings with lawmakers and congressional staff in both chambers to advance a pro-manufacturing agenda focused on strengthening U.S. competitiveness, protecting innovation, investing in rural America, and rebuilding national infrastructure.
Company leaders sat down with members of Congress and their staff to discuss the impact of tariffs on jobs and competitiveness, push back against right-to-repair mandates that threaten innovation and national security, underscore the urgency of passing a bipartisan farm bill with precision agriculture incentives, and urge action on a fully funded highway bill with a draft completed by year’s end.
“This fly-in is about bringing the voices of our industry together to tell our stories,” said AEM President and CEO Megan Tanel. “Our member company leaders showed up on Wednesday to remind lawmakers that decisions made in Washington have real-world consequences. When we invest in domestic manufacturing, prioritize rural America, and commit to modernizing our infrastructure, we strengthen the backbone of our economy and the livelihoods of all Americans.”
“Our conversations on Capitol Hill this week were productive and encouraging,” said AEM Vice President of Federal Affairs Kate Fox Wood. “Lawmakers understand the challenges our industry faces, and they value hearing directly from the men and women who lead equipment manufacturing companies. I want to thank our executives for taking the time to tell their stories; those personal connections make all the difference as we work together to strengthen U.S. manufacturing, protect innovation, and invest in rural communities and infrastructure.”
As part of the fly-in, AEM also honored three members of Congress as 2025 Champions of the Industry: Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Representative Ron Estes (R-Kan.), and Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.). The award recognizes their leadership in advancing policies that support equipment manufacturers, their employees, and the communities they serve.
2025 legislative asks included:
- Strengthening Equipment Manufacturers in the United States -- Equipment manufacturers urged the importance of swiftly reaching agreements with trading partners that level the playing field for American products, remove tariffs, and put in place reasonable exemptions for parts and components that cannot be sourced at cost and scale in the United States.
- Rejecting Right-to-Repair Mandates that Threaten Innovation and National Security -- With concerning right-to-repair provisions in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as well as the REPAIR Act (S. 1379/H.R. 1566), equipment manufacturers asked lawmakers to oppose proposals that would hurt innovation, raise costs, and risk exposing sensitive trade secrets to competitors or foreign adversaries.
- Investing in Rural America -- Equipment manufacturers support a timely, bipartisan reauthorization of the Farm Bill (set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025), including proposals that incentivize adoption of precision agriculture technologies (S. 1618/H.R. 3211 - the Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025; and S.1616 - the PRECISE ACT of 2025).
- Rebuilding and Modernizing Our Nation’s Highway Infrastructure -- Equipment manufacturers rely on infrastructure modernization efforts to continue to invest in their communities, grow their businesses, and create more jobs in America. Equipment manufacturers urged lawmakers to pass a fully funded Highway Bill in 2026—with a draft ready by the end of this year—and lock in a long-term and sustainable funding stream for the Highway Trust Fund.
To get more involved with AEM’s advocacy efforts, please reach out to the advocacy team at advocacy@aem.org.
