MEMA Convenes 2019 Legislative Summit at a Critical Time for Suppliers

More than 125 members and affiliates of MEMA’s four divisions arrived in Washington, D.C. today as the annual Legislative Summit got underway at the Watergate Hotel.
 
The event, which has evolved into a valuable platform for industry dialog and advancing the business interests of the supplier industry, will include a series of high-level speakers, including a “Town Hall” discussion with former U.S. Representatives Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Phil English (R-Pa.); a session on North American trade with Ambassador Martha Bárcena Coqui, the ambassador of Mexico to the United States, and Kirsten Hillman, Deputy Ambassador of Canada to the United States; and Charlie Cook, of the Cook Political Report. The event will also include introductory remarks on the state of the industry from MEMA President and CEO Bill Long.
 
“As it’s been said many times, the mobility Industry is on the cusp of the biggest change in more than 100 years, and it should be no surprise that MEMA and its four divisions and our members are poised to not only meet the change head-on, but to also lead the way,” Long explained. “In our long history, we have seen a lot of change, but rarely have we as much change as we have in the past two years.”
 
Among the many changes and challenges that the supplier industry faces are new tariffs applied to steel and aluminum imports, tariffs on imports from China, and the renegotiation of the nearly 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. Much of the Legislative Summit will be focused on deepening understanding of these and other issues.
 
Attendees will hold more than 110 meetings on Capitol Hill as part of an on-going effort to educate legislators and regulators how their decisions in Washington impact the manufacturing floor at supplier businesses across the country.