Cicilline Proposes $2 Billion to Help Revive Manufacturing

Cicilline Proposes $2 Billion to Help Revive Manufacturing

Congressional candidate David Cicilline wants to create a $2 billion fund for grants to help get the U.S. manufacturing industry back on its feet.

“Manufacturing has long served as the foundation of Rhode Island's economy, and, in Congress I will fight to establish a Made in America Block Grant to provide small manufacturers with the resources they need to compete in a new and changing economy and equip our workforce with the skills they need to succeed,” Cicilline said, during a tour at Westfall Manufacturing in Bristol.

If elected, Cicilline would push for the establishment of a $2 billion Made in American Block Grant program. The money would be used to retool manufacturing plants and retrain their workers for green energy or high-tech jobs.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

The program would be funded through several sources, according to the Cicilline campaign. One would be a 50 percent tax on executive bonuses more than $25,000 at companies that received federal bailout funds.

Bob Glanville, the owner of Westfall Manufacturing, said the grants would help his business. “As a small business owner, I know just how much we need this kind of innovative support for manufacturing,” Glanville said. “A Made in America Block Grant is just what we need to expand and create more jobs for residents of the East Bay.”

For more information about the plan, click here.