Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Hillary Clinton (D-New York), co-Chairs of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, today hosted a roundtable discussion about the future of the defense industry in a global economy. The discussion included companies from New York and South Carolina and experts in defense manufacturing. Graham and Clinton co-founded the Manufacturing Caucus to promote the interests of domestic manufacturing and create a dialogue between industry leaders and Members of Congress. As our nation faces the new and different challenges of the 21st century, the United States must develop a thoughtful policy that both secures our domestic industrial base and enhances the economic benefits provided by foreign employers and consumers. “It’s now time for Republicans and Democrats to join together to strengthen the manufacturing sector and take steps to create a better business environment to ensure our soldiers and sailors have the equipment they need to carry out their mission,” said Graham. “The caucus explores all aspects of the manufacturing sector with the ultimate goal of restoring this vital part of our economy. To improve the manufacturing climate in our state and nation, we’ll have to work together. Honest and informative discussions between Members of Congress and industry leaders are a step in the right direction.” “A strong manufacturing base is important in order to keep our economy and middle class strong, but it’s also important to support our national security,” said Senator Clinton. “In the post-9/11 world, it is time for a reexamination of what we need and should expect from our defense industrial base. We face critical questions about how we maintain the capacity to produce components needed for our national defense and today’s discussion was an important start to addressing them.” Participants included: Dr. Loren Thompson, COO, Lexington Institute; John Douglass, President and CEO, Aerospace Industry Association; Hon. Dave McCurdy, President and CEO, Electronic Industries Alliance, and former Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Bob Roberts, President & CEO, Syracuse Research Corporation; Dr. Brian Dailey, Senior VP, Lockheed Martin; Steve Evered, Director of Government Affairs, Michelin North America, Inc.; and, Mike Aldrich, Vice President, Force Protection, Inc. ####