U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Joins Bipartisan Competitiveness Caucus

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced today she has joined the newly formed, bipartisan, Senate Competitiveness Caucus, which will foster concerted bipartisan efforts to discuss, develop, and advance policy enhancing U.S economic competitiveness.

The group is chaired by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and also includes Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Mark Kirk (R-Illinois), Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), Mark Warner (D-Virginia), and Angus King (I-Maine). The new group is committed to working together to take concrete steps to cement America’s role as a global economic leader into the future.

At a Senate Competitiveness Caucus event today attended by Nick Pinchuk, CEO of Snap-On Incorporated, Senator Baldwin highlighted the Kenosha’s company’s partnership with Gateway Technical College on job training and workforce readiness issues.

“America’s biggest challenge is to create stronger economic growth and shared prosperity. This challenge cannot be met by the public sector alone, just as the private sector can’t do it by itself. Republicans don’t have all the answers, just as Democrats don’t either. The only way we meet the challenges we face effectively, is if we have strong public-private partnerships that are supported by a Congress working across party lines,” Senator Baldwin said. “In Wisconsin we have a model that could serve as an inspiration for others. Snap-On and Gateway Technical College in Kenosha are working together, and have put in place a nationally-recognized education and training partnership that addresses our needs for industry skill certification.

“They are working together to build a road map to conquer a new frontier in workforce readiness and manufacturing at a time when we desperately need to improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nation-wide network that maximizes workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placements.”

Senator Baldwin also highlighted legislative reforms she has introduced, including the Manufacturing Universities Act, which has earned bipartisan support in Congress and the higher education community in Wisconsin, would provide incentives to better align educational offerings with the needs of modern manufacturers and bolster universities' efforts to focus on manufacturing, engineering, and other curricula specifically related to targeted industries. In addition, as a co-chair of the bipartisan, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, she worked across party lines to introduce a number of reforms to support students who work their way through school and students enrolled in CTE programs, including the Working Student Act and CTE Opportunity Act.