Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act

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Bill ID: 119/s/1872

Last Updated: September 7, 2026

Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act

S. 1872, 119th Congress — read as touching Construction & Engineering.

The sponsor

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$383,500 raised

23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

85% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Small Business Administration" section, p. 789-791 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Held at the desk.

November 9, 2025

Introduced

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.

🏛️

Committee Review

🗳️

Floor Action

✅

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Summary Style:

**Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act (S 1872): A Billion-Dollar Opportunity for Consolidation and Deregulation**

As a visionary entrepreneur and thought leader, I've analyzed the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act (S 1872) to identify its potential impact on my business empire. This bill is a prime example of how government can be leveraged to further private interests.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's primary objective is to conduct a study on the feasibility of manufacturing critical infrastructure products in the United States. The Secretary of Commerce will analyze the costs and benefits of domestic production, identify potential barriers, and provide recommendations for policy changes.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill introduces several key provisions:

1. **Study scope:** The study will focus on 16 designated critical infrastructure sectors, identifying products necessary for their construction, maintenance, operation, or restoration. 2. **Analysis of costs and benefits:** The Secretary of Commerce will assess the impact of domestic production on jobs, employment rates, labor conditions, and product costs. 3. **Identification of barriers:** The study will pinpoint federal policies, regulations, or guidance that may inhibit or increase the cost of manufacturing critical infrastructure products in the United States.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The bill's findings will have significant implications for various stakeholders:

1. **Manufacturers:** Domestic producers of critical infrastructure products will benefit from potential policy changes and deregulation. 2. **Investors:** The study's recommendations may create new investment opportunities in critical infrastructure sectors. 3. **Regulatory bodies:** Federal agencies responsible for overseeing critical infrastructure sectors will need to adapt to potential policy changes.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** The Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act presents a billion-dollar opportunity for consolidation and deregulation:

1. **Deregulation:** The study's findings may lead to the relaxation of regulations, creating a more favorable business environment for manufacturers. 2. **Consolidation:** By identifying potential barriers to domestic production, the bill may facilitate industry consolidation, allowing larger players to acquire smaller competitors. 3. **Increased profits:** With reduced regulatory burdens and increased efficiency, manufacturers can expect higher profit margins.

In conclusion, S 1872 is a prime example of how government can be leveraged to further private interests. By supporting this bill, I'm investing in the future of my business empire and shaping the regulatory landscape to favor innovation and growth.

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions

$383,500

22 donors

PACs

Organizations

$7,700

Committees

Individuals

$375,800

No PAC contributions found

SAC & FOX TRIBE OF MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA

2 transactions

$6,700

SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY

1 transaction

$1,000

No committee contributions found

ABEL, ANDREA MS.

1 transaction

$50,000

MCINERNEY, THOMAS E. MR.

1 transaction

$50,000

NICOLLS, BOB MR.

1 transaction

$25,000

GRAY, C. BOYDEN

1 transaction

$25,000

CATSIMATIDIS, JOHN A. MR.

1 transaction

$25,000

KOTICK, ROBERT MR.

1 transaction

$16,600

VINCZE, CHRISTOPHER

1 transaction

$15,800

FRANCE, BRIAN Z. MR.

1 transaction

$15,000

BAKER, BERNARD J. MR. III

1 transaction

$15,000

HEGYI, ALBERT P. MR.

1 transaction

$15,000

DAVISON, JAMES E. MR.

1 transaction

$15,000

BROIN, JEFF MR.

1 transaction

$15,000

SHERRILL, STEPHEN C. MR.

1 transaction

$15,000

GLEESON, JOHN W. MR.

1 transaction

$12,500

RAY-GLEESON, KAREN S. MRS.

1 transaction

$12,500

POPOLO, JOE

1 transaction

$11,800

PFAUTCH, ROY MR.

1 transaction

$11,600

GOLDMAN, MARC STANLEY

1 transaction

$10,000

SCHLOEMER, JAMES H. MR.

1 transaction

$10,000

SABIN, ANDREW MR.

1 transaction

$10,000

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 2 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]

ID: B001303

Top Contributors

PHAROS CAPITAL GROUP LLC

OrganizationBRENTWOOD, TN

$3,300

Dec 15, 2023

TUNICA-BILOXI TRIBE OF LA

OrganizationMARKSVILLE, LA

$3,300

Dec 29, 2023

POMO BAND OF THE HABEMOTOLEL INDIANS

OrganizationUPPER LAKE, CA

$3,300

May 17, 2024

THE CHICKASAW NATION

OrganizationMADILL, OK

$3,300

May 30, 2024

THE CHICKASAW NATION

OrganizationMADILL, OK

$3,300

May 30, 2024

THE DANIEL INITIATIVE, LLC

OrganizationSTAFFORD, VA

$3,300

Jul 24, 2023

TUNICA-BILOXI TRIBE OF LA

OrganizationMARKSVILLE, LA

$2,500

Sep 30, 2024

PHAROS CAPITAL GROUP LLC

OrganizationBRENTWOOD, TN

$2,300

Dec 15, 2023

SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS

OrganizationLOS ANGELES, CA

$2,000

Mar 31, 2024

1634 ASSOCIATES

OrganizationPHILADELPHIA, PA

$2,000

Sep 30, 2023

Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]

ID: O000174

Top Contributors

THOMAS, TORI

IndividualMCLEAN, VA

$9,100

Jun 30, 2024

MCCLURE, RODERICK

RODFATHER PRODUCTIONS • BUSINESS OWNER

IndividualALPHARETTA, GA

$6,600

Nov 25, 2024

MCCLURE, RODERICK

IndividualALPHARETTA, GA

$6,600

Dec 23, 2024

HOLLANDER, ELLEN

NOT EMPLOYED • NOT EMPLOYED

IndividualROSWELL, GA

$5,000

Oct 6, 2024

HOLLANDER, ELLEN

IndividualROSWELL, GA

$5,000

Oct 14, 2024

MILLER, KRISTIE

SELF EMPLOYED • WRITER

IndividualWASHINGTON, DC

$3,300

Jun 5, 2024

RECHNITZ, JOAN

NOT EMPLOYED • RETIRED

IndividualRED BANK, NJ

$3,300

Apr 22, 2024

HOPPER, HEIDI

NOT EMPLOYED • RETIRED

IndividualMENLO PARK, CA

$3,300

May 3, 2024

BRASCH, JOHN

NOT EMPLOYED • NOT EMPLOYED

IndividualLINCOLN, NE

$3,300

Apr 16, 2024

ARNOLD, JOHN

ARNOLD VENTURES • CO-FOUNDER

IndividualHOUSTON, TX

$3,300

Apr 2, 2024

Donor Network - Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Show Also Donated To

PACs

Organizations

Individuals

Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Showing 42 nodes and 39 connections

Total contributions: $39

Top Donors - Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Showing top 22 donors by contribution amount

2 Orgs20 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 3 helped.

+Construction & Engineeringconfidence 0.80
Section 2(b)(1) identifies products necessary for construction, maintenance, operation, or restoration of critical infrastructure sectors, which could lead to increased demand for construction and engineering services.
+Pipelines & Energy Infrastructureconfidence 0.70
Section 2(b)(1) includes products for critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, which could benefit energy infrastructure companies.
+Electric Utilitiesconfidence 0.60
Section 2(b)(1) mentions products necessary for the operation of critical infrastructure sectors like energy, potentially benefiting electric utilities.

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Small Business Administration

Strong

Vector: 65%

Pages: 789-791AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill's focus on studying domestic manufacturing feasibility for critical infrastructure aligns closely with Project 2025's SBA goals of expanding capital access for small manufacturers, strengthening domestic production, and enhancing economic resilience, though the bill is a study rather than direct SBA reform."

Key themes:domestic manufacturingcritical infrastructuresmall business supportcapital accessjob creation

— 756 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Domestic Manufacturing and Small Business. Small businesses in the manufacturing sector face shortfalls in access to capital.61 As manufacturing employment, domestic business investment, and non–information technology output have declined,62 expectations for market returns and the capital available to small manufacturing enterprises have diminished. This is especially true for capital-intensive sectors like transportation and energy that require large up-front investments and relatively lower-margin sectors like plastics, textiles, furniture, and agriculture. Yet these industries and others like them traditionally have been the backbone of American manufacturing employment. They also are sources of self-sufficiency and resilience at a time when global supply chains are increas- ingly uncertain. The public policy problems that are caused by declining small manufacturing are especially acute when it comes to the production of advanced technologies. Other agencies and programs invest immense taxpayer resources in basic science and research. Over time, that research results in some breakthrough technologies, but when it is time to put these breakthroughs into practice by manufacturing goods and services, much of the necessary productive capacity is offshore.63 For many technologies, the American economy lacks the capacity to “scale up” inno- vations that might not be immediately profitable. Instead, those technologies are put into practice abroad. In this way, foreign companies and foreign productive sites buy and implement taxpayer-funded American technologies. The SBA’s existing programs should be reformed to expand the private market for capital in small-manufacturer expansion. The next Administration should: l Ask Congress to make available a category of Section 7(a) loans with a larger available principal that is used to finance manufacturing facility construction and equipment upgrading. The proposed SBA Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2019, for example, would have increased the maximum loan principal to $50 million for advanced manufacturing construction and upgrading.64 The Section 7(a) loan program operates through private lenders and guarantees a portion of private-sector loans made to qualifying small businesses. The maximum principal available is $5 million, but small businesses in capital-intensive sectors require significantly larger amounts of capital to finance up-front capital costs. l Reform the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program to refocus its support on small businesses rather than technology startups only. The SBIC program operates through private venture capital and private equity funds by providing eligible funds with guaranteed debt financing to support investments in small businesses. However, the program — 757 — Small Business Administration largely duplicates private-sector venture capital to the extent that the sector receiving much of its support is software and information technology, which already receive the lion’s share of venture capital investment.65 In addition, Congress should reform the SBIC program to make its financing more favorable to capital-intense investments and small manufacturers. The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act, introduced in 2020,66 and American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, introduced in 2021,67 would allow SBIC to offer longer-term financing to manufacturers and make the program more fiscally sustainable. Small-Business Size Standard Modernization. Many small-business pro- grams both inside and outside the SBA use the SBA’s definition of “small business.” Under the Small Business Act, the SBA is tasked with defining what counts as a small business and ensuring that the definition varies from industry to industry to reflect differences in regular size by industry. However, the SBA’s small-business size standards reflect a one-size-fits-all approach under which all businesses within its size standard are considered small businesses for all eligible purposes, from gov- ernment contracting preferences to eligibility for SBA loans through private banks. At the same time, the SBA is an outlier among competing economies in not considering medium-sized enterprises along with small businesses, often referred to collectively as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Medium-sized and regional businesses are increasingly critical to maintaining competition. The next Administration should: l Encourage Congress to create a “medium-sized business” classification with its eligibility for programs confined to access to capital programs from projects for which credit elsewhere does not exist. SBA POLICY PRIORITIES FOR 2025 AND BEYOND Legislation. The new Administration can support SBA reform legislation pro- posed in Congress that aligns with key measures outlined in this chapter. It also can support legislative initiatives that would help SBA to focus on its core statutory activities such as capital access, federal contracting opportunities, and regulatory advocacy. For example: l The IMPROVE the SBA Act68 would strengthen accountability, transparency, and oversight of the SBA and aligns with many of the reforms outlined in this chapter.

Small Business Administration

Strong

Vector: 64%

Pages: 789-791AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill aligns strongly with Project 2025's focus on revitalizing domestic manufacturing, particularly for small businesses in capital-intensive sectors, by directing a feasibility study to identify and promote U.S.-based production of critical infrastructure goods, which addresses supply chain vulnerabilities and supports economic resilience."

Key themes:domestic manufacturingsmall business supportcritical infrastructuresupply chain resiliencecapital access

21

Strong

Vector: 64%

Pages: 699-701AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill aligns strongly with Project 2025's emphasis on securing critical supply chains, countering adversarial economic influence (particularly China), and promoting domestic manufacturing for national security and economic resilience. Both prioritize reducing reliance on foreign production of essential goods and enhancing U.S. industrial competitiveness through strategic policy review and action."

Key themes:domestic manufacturingsupply chain securitycountering Chinacritical infrastructureeconomic resilience

— 666 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Advisory Committees. Due to the nature of the Department of Commerce’s portfolio, many of its advisory committees are populated by activists from organi- zations openly hostile to conservative principles who use the committees to impede conservative policy. Upon entering office, all such committees should be reviewed regarding whether they are required by statute and abolished if they are not. Mem- bership of the remaining committees should be reconstituted to ensure they are sources of genuine expert advice and productive contributions to the policy-making process. Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) compliance and awareness of any ways the committees have been written into regulations should be considered. INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION The International Trade Administration is centrally placed to craft and implement U.S. trade policy. Core to ITA’s mission is the expansion of trade and investment and the fostering of job creation, innovation, and economic growth, while also providing research and analysis that support USTR’s trade negotiations. ITA carries out this mission on behalf of American workers, ranchers, and families. As discussed elsewhere, historically, conservatives have argued that many fed- eral government trade and investment-oriented functions amount to corporate welfare or protectionism. There is a growing counterargument within the conser- vative movement contending that, in a world in which managed trade is the norm rather than the exception, and in which authoritarian governments, especially China, continually seek to undermine U.S. interests, the U.S. cannot unilaterally disarm. To do so would harm the cause of free trade in the long term, and, in any event, Congress is not likely to drastically change the composition or authoriza- tion of the ITA. Thus, a policy and management agenda that serves conservative priorities is crucial. In a conservative Administration, the ITA should operate with the follow- ing priorities: l Counter the malign influence of China and other U.S. adversaries; l Enforce agreements vigorously and defend against trade violations; l Secure access to critical supply chains and technology; and l Enable the private sector to drive innovation and remain globally competitive. It is important to note that a deeply entrenched set of career Senior Executive Service officials have managed the ITA for over a decade. While most are truly non-partisan civil servants, some are not. Political leadership must manage accord- ingly. Strong political leadership is needed in ITA’s policymaking positions from — 667 — Department of Commerce Day One to ensure the bureau is fully implementing Administration policy. An incoming Administration should ensure that Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assis- tant Secretary positions are staffed by appointees as quickly as possible. Enforcement and Compliance. Strong enforcement of trade agreements is an indispensable function of the ITA carried out by Enforcement & Compliance (E&C). Free and fair trade is impossible without energetic enforcement of exist- ing agreements and without strong defense against dumping and illegal subsidies. Many free trade advocates consider antidumping and countervailing duty laws (AD/CVD) to be protectionist and thus antithetical to the conservative free market position. In their view, AD/CVD laws are overused, abused by certain industries, and harmful to American economic competitiveness by increasing costs to down- stream industries. Other conservatives maintain that AD/CVD tariffs are not conventional tariffs, but rather corrective actions meant to address anti-free market activities by other governments—a scalpel, not a hammer. In the short term, this may mean higher costs for U.S. businesses and consumers on a limited number of products from cer- tain offending countries, but those higher prices correct existing price distortions in the marketplace and ultimately ensure the healthy operation of market forces in the long term and a level playing field for U.S. manufacturers. Whatever the case, improvements to the current system must be made to both protect U.S. consumers and companies from improperly applied duties and defend against trade-distorting actions by other governments. Procedures governing the day-to-day administration of proceedings, as well as policies driving critical deci- sions in proceedings, require a fresh look. Ultimately, E&C’s mandate is to conduct a rigorous but also fair, objective, and balanced review of the record in each pro- ceeding and to make decisions without bias. It is exceedingly unlikely that Congress would abolish or limit the activity of E&C. Therefore, the proposals below are made under the assumption that an incoming Administration will operate E&C within its current legal, institutional, and political confines and set a path forward to wield E&C’s considerable power to achieve the goals of a conservative Administration. These proposals can be broken into three categories: process, policy, and addressing China. Process l Re-establish and expand suspended in-person pandemic-related verifications, particularly regarding the People’s Republic of China. Ensure that verifications are rigorous. l Implement advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to identify opportunities for self-initiation, detect circumvention, and prevent bad actors from gaming the system.

Department of Commerce

Strong

Vector: 63%

Pages: 702-704AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill aligns strongly with Project 2025's focus on strengthening critical supply chains and reducing reliance on adversarial nations like China by studying domestic manufacturing feasibility for critical infrastructure. Both emphasize supply chain resilience, national security, and strategic domestic production in key sectors."

Key themes:critical supply chainsdomestic manufacturingnational securitystrategic decoupling from Chinaindustrial base strength

— 669 — Department of Commerce l Develop a new methodology to determine normal values in Chinese anti- dumping cases because—given China’s size, economic might, and state intervention in the economy—there is no comparable surrogate country to use as a proxy for production costs. In addition to these changes, continued support for steel and aluminum market analysis and import monitoring remains crucial to the U.S. defense industrial base and the health of global manufacturing. Without these functions, it is difficult to address massive subsidization, overcapacity, and dumping by China. Industry and Analysis. Industry and Analysis (I&A) consists of a team of econ- omists and industry experts that provides important analysis to partners across the government, including the White House and USTR, as well as the public. As the Department of Commerce’s Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) lead, I&A performs crucial work to ensure that the proper economic impact/supply chain analysis is brought to national security risk assess- ments. This analysis is needed for CFIUS to be an effective tool in preventing China and other adversaries from exploiting the U.S.’s open investment climate. I&A also provides impact assessments and economic modeling for policy options under Administration consideration; plays a critical role in identifying trade barriers and providing industry-specific expertise for USTR during free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations; and does indispensable work ensuring cross-bor- der data flows, particularly with Europe, remain open and relatively unrestricted. However, outside of these functions, implementation of I&A’s mission as an intellectual engine for U.S. trade and investment policy can often lack energy and focus. For instance, the Top Market Reports that represent a large volume of I&A work do not serve a specific strategic function and could be better replaced by industry competitiveness assessments in critical sectors of the economy. Strong and capable leadership is needed in I&A to ensure Administration pri- orities permeate the organization and that staff support Administration priorities. I&A produces a mandatory report to Congress regarding the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, which focuses solely on U.S. capacity in the goods being considered for tariff exclusions and does not include highly relevant information on capacity among FTA partners and close allies. The resulting final report has thus been used to lobby for tariff reductions on thousands of imports from China without concern for any other factors. This lack of priority given to FTA partners is troubling. Going forward, I&A should be permanently restructured to perform supply-chain analysis on an ongoing basis for the U.S. government, identifying potential vulner- abilities like those exposed by the pandemic and resulting shortages in everything from semiconductors to baby formula. Furthermore, permanent standing teams should be established and staffed by properly aligned political appointees and trusted career staff to analyze and spur action on the following priority policy issues: — 670 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Strategic decoupling from China; l Defense industrial base strength; l Critical supply chains (e.g., pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food); and l Emerging technologies (e.g., rare earth minerals, semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum computing). Global Markets and the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. For more than a decade, strategic planning at Global Markets (GM) and the U.S. and For- eign Commercial Service (CS) has been consistently undermined by increased costs associated with overseas staff and flat or reduced budgets. The Trump Administration introduced crucial, long-overdue business practices such as the implementation of software to manage and track workflow, but a further strategic overhaul of resource allocation is needed to set GM and the CS on a firm footing. Currently, CS manages staff spread over 106 domestic offices in 77 countries around the world. Abroad, several “partner posts” utilize interagency staff and regionally located CS officials to offer services without a permanent physical in-country CS presence. Given the rapidly rising costs imposed by the State Depart- ment on CS posts overseas, a drastic expansion of this model is likely needed. CS resources should be distributed according to the following set of priorities: l Value in countering the malign influence of adversaries, particularly China; l Value in fostering U.S. innovation; l Value in maintaining access to critical supply chains and technology; l Difficulty for U.S. companies in gaining market access without CS involvement; and l Potential untapped export market size and likelihood of expansion. Ultimately, difficult decisions must be made about the value of CS posts and whether individual posts can be justified given current resources and the above criteria. If the State Department deems the diplomatic value of a permanent in-country CS post to be vital to the national interest, then State should bear more of the cost of maintaining that post. Global Markets should also consolidate and elevate the Advocacy Center and SelectUSA as relatively low-cost tools to drive large-scale export transactions

21

Moderate

Vector: 63%

Pages: 699-701AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill focuses on studying domestic manufacturing feasibility for critical infrastructure, which aligns with Project 2025's emphasis on strengthening U.S. economic competitiveness and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains, particularly through trade enforcement and industrial policy. However, the bill does not directly address trade remedy enforcement, AD/CVD reforms, or China-specific trade actions outlined in the Project 2025 Commerce section."

Key themes:domestic manufacturingsupply chain resilienceeconomic competitivenesscritical infrastructuretrade policy

— 667 — Department of Commerce Day One to ensure the bureau is fully implementing Administration policy. An incoming Administration should ensure that Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assis- tant Secretary positions are staffed by appointees as quickly as possible. Enforcement and Compliance. Strong enforcement of trade agreements is an indispensable function of the ITA carried out by Enforcement & Compliance (E&C). Free and fair trade is impossible without energetic enforcement of exist- ing agreements and without strong defense against dumping and illegal subsidies. Many free trade advocates consider antidumping and countervailing duty laws (AD/CVD) to be protectionist and thus antithetical to the conservative free market position. In their view, AD/CVD laws are overused, abused by certain industries, and harmful to American economic competitiveness by increasing costs to down- stream industries. Other conservatives maintain that AD/CVD tariffs are not conventional tariffs, but rather corrective actions meant to address anti-free market activities by other governments—a scalpel, not a hammer. In the short term, this may mean higher costs for U.S. businesses and consumers on a limited number of products from cer- tain offending countries, but those higher prices correct existing price distortions in the marketplace and ultimately ensure the healthy operation of market forces in the long term and a level playing field for U.S. manufacturers. Whatever the case, improvements to the current system must be made to both protect U.S. consumers and companies from improperly applied duties and defend against trade-distorting actions by other governments. Procedures governing the day-to-day administration of proceedings, as well as policies driving critical deci- sions in proceedings, require a fresh look. Ultimately, E&C’s mandate is to conduct a rigorous but also fair, objective, and balanced review of the record in each pro- ceeding and to make decisions without bias. It is exceedingly unlikely that Congress would abolish or limit the activity of E&C. Therefore, the proposals below are made under the assumption that an incoming Administration will operate E&C within its current legal, institutional, and political confines and set a path forward to wield E&C’s considerable power to achieve the goals of a conservative Administration. These proposals can be broken into three categories: process, policy, and addressing China. Process l Re-establish and expand suspended in-person pandemic-related verifications, particularly regarding the People’s Republic of China. Ensure that verifications are rigorous. l Implement advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to identify opportunities for self-initiation, detect circumvention, and prevent bad actors from gaming the system. — 668 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Accelerate front-end work on reviews as opposed to constantly pushing against statutory deadlines. l Work with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other relevant agencies to address circumvention and duty evasion, and promote policies that encourage full duty collection to ensure the integrity of AD/CVD and circumvention orders. l Work with CBP, the Department of Justice, the Department of Treasury, and other relevant agencies to aggressively pursue importers of record and other beneficiaries for unpaid duties, and consider policy changes to reduce uncollected duties in the future. l Work, pursuant to the above, with interagency partners in AD/CVD cases to either require foreign importers of record (IORs) to make cash deposits far in excess of established duty rates at the time of entry of AD/CVD merchandise, require IORs to register sufficient U.S. assets to ensure timely payment of duties, or otherwise prohibit IORs from importing AD/CVD merchandise. l Conduct a regulatory capture audit and put guardrails in place to address improper exercise of bureaucratic prerogative. Policy l Ensure senior policy and decision-making positions are always held by political appointees. l Reverse the practice of giving the benefit of the doubt to foreign companies versus U.S. companies in AD/CVD proceedings. l Establish a policy for addressing companies that invest heavily in the U.S. and thus have large import volumes, exposing them to AD/CVD petitions. l Establish an effective, fair, and objective process for self-initiation of AD/ CVD proceedings when industry lacks the resources or ability to act. Addressing China l Revive the China-specific non-market economy unit. l Provide transparency in the surrogate country list development process.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

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