Economic strategy experts discussed the future of U.S. manufacturing and related issues during a panel Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., for “Daily Caller Live: American Jobs, American Strength,” presented by the American Beverage Association.
The panel, moderated by Daily Caller Senior Editor Amber Duke, offered a nuanced perspective on the “ripple effect” of American-made manufacturing.
Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, addressed concerns that manufacturing jobs are being taken abroad. He claimed that was largely not the case, stating most of those jobs were moving to the South.
Jonathan Williams, president and chief economist of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), explained why manufacturing jobs would move “state to state,” or the “50 laboratories of democracy.”
Manufacturers are drawn to the Southeast United states, because its policies allow for lower taxes, fewer regulations and right-to-work laws, which prohibit mandatory union membership and dues, Williams stated.
Williams said that despite its imperfections, the “Big Beautiful Bill” is a “huge facet” in future economic growth as it provides certainty through a permanent tax cut, which allows investors to make a more calculated risk when investing within the country.
“It brings a lot of certainty to investment in the United States broadly,” he said.
🚨 The Ripple Effect of American Made 🚨
Daily Caller Senior Editor @ambermarieduke: “What are some of the other economic factors that people should be looking at?”
Jonathan Williams of @ALEC_states: “Energy, education, workforce development and the economy…. From a federal… pic.twitter.com/YrggFTKGtO
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 24, 2025
Kerpen suggested that “one source of uncertainty” is America’s trade policies.
“We need to win and be competitive internationally not by hamstringing other countries with tariffs and trade barriers, but by being more productive here,” he stated.
Kerpen also touched on the trade deficit and investment in the United States.
“I think you need to look where the dollar flow is going and if it’s going into productive activities and capital investment that’s going to make American workers able to produce more, then it’s going to bring higher wages and a higher standard of living,” Kerpen said.
He praised the administration for securing investments in America, saying, “Despite all the saber rattling and the anti-trade rhetoric, we’ve actually seen a big surge in commitments for foreign investments for production facilities in the United States.” (RELATED: Howard Lutnick Reveals How Trump Admin Secured Massive Trade Deal With Japan)
Kerpen said much of the setback seen in “productive sectors of the economy,” which he described as manufacturing and building jobs, has been stalled due to factors like COVID-19, bad policy and an aging population.
American-made goods can be just as competitive as those produced in other countries, Kerpen noted.
But instead of using cheap labor, “we’re going to do it with equipment and software and ingenuity and innovation,” he asserted.
“We’re going to do it with a smaller number of high-value jobs that are producing large quantities of goods.”