The President’s Commerce Secretary was in the hot seat this week, talking American manufacturing with a Senate subcommittee.
Kansas Senator Jerry Moran questioned Lutnick over a program that helps smaller U.S. manufacturers. The department is not requesting money for that program next year. Lutnick says it is not forgotten, but rather being reworked.
“Programs that were set up by the Department of Commerce decades ago, to assist in technology for manufacturing, tend to be outdated. The new technology is AI-driven, automated, and I think we need to reexamine and retool a whole variety of these programs so that we are able to provide the best technological assistance rather than just continuing our program that’s decades and decades old.”
The Hollins Manufacturing Extension Partnership was started back in 1988. It is a public-private partnership that was designed as a cost-share program. Leaders say the program helped manufacturers get $15 billion in sales last year.
JBS representatives told Reuters that the original deal has not changed and that they welcome employees back to the facility.
April 06, 2026 11:08 AM
·
Charly Cummings with Superior Livestock Auctions provides a real-time look at cattle market activity, demand trends, and what lies ahead for upcoming livestock auctions in Texas.
April 02, 2026 04:43 PM
·
Researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture are studying the clouded plant bug, which causes millions of dollars in damage to crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton growing across the state.
April 02, 2026 03:49 PM
·
Leadership closer to western forests may speed decisions impacting timber, land use, and wildfire management.
April 02, 2026 12:07 PM
·
More than 15 million birds were affected by bird flu, but fewer outbreaks are helping bring egg prices down
April 02, 2026 11:50 AM
·
Fewer DEF-related shutdowns could mean more uptime during planting and harvest seasons.
April 02, 2026 11:44 AM
·
