Our Political Action Committee is deeply concerned about the widespread offshoring of manufacturing and service jobs, which has significantly impacted the American economy and workforce. The ability to find products “Proudly Made in the USA” in local stores has become increasingly rare, underscoring the need for a shift back towards domestic production and job creation.
The issues associated with offshoring extend across various sectors:
(a) Information Technology Jobs: The trend of offshoring IT jobs to countries like India and Bangladesh has raised concerns about the decimation of the US IT Industry through lower wages. The truth is that there is not, and has never been, a shortage of skilled IT workers in the United States. The truth is that companies have continued to send IT jobs overseas, and to lobby to be able to import and hire H1B visa workers into the United States in order to lower the cost of labor and salaries. This trend began in the 1990s and has been going on for at least the past 30 years. It happens because companies indulge in these behaviors and nobody stops them. Folks associated with this PAC have first-hand knowledge of companies asking their HR personnel in California to fraudulently certify that they could not find skilled American workers to fill certain roles when there were clearly very well qualified Americans available for the job, who wanted more money than their equivalent H1B visa counterparts. Since the beginning of the COVID era, and the rise of high-speed undersea internet fiber links, Zoom, WebEx, Google Meets, Teams, and secure VPNs, larger and larger portions of Information Technology jobs are being shipped overseas. With the use of these new-fangled technologies, companies have discovered that it is relatively easy to offshore IT jobs. We are not frowning upon Global companies using a follow-the-sun support model which offshores a couple jobs overseas or even a half dozen. We have seen companies offshore entire Information Technology departments overseas, resulting in the loss of hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of jobs, with corresponding jobs suddenly appearing in Bangalore, India. This PAC has knowledge of several banks in the Chicagoland area which no longer hire IT people in the United States, but only overseas. This trend has to be reversed, else our nieces and nephews, children and grandchildren will one day ask: “Grandpa, what was that lucrative career path called Information Technology which no longer exists here in the United States?”
(b) Medical Transcription and Radiology: The offshoring of medical chart transcription and radiology services overseas has led to worries about the quality of medical diagnostics and treatments, emphasizing the importance of accurate and reliable medical services provided by trained American professionals.
(c) Textile and Clothing Manufacturing: The shift of textile and clothing manufacturing to countries like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Tunisia, China, and Middle Eastern nations has resulted in a scarcity of clothing made in the USA, reflecting a broader trend of declining domestic manufacturing.
(d) The manufacture of common household items: The shift of manufacturing en-masse to Communist China and to other nations with a lower wage cost has made it impossible to find almost anything made here in the United States any more. This was quite evident during the COVID pandemic when supply chain disruptions caused shortages of both business and consumer items alike and store shelves were largely empty. Corporate greed has sent most manufacturing, including the manufacturing of critical items such as medication and computer microchips to China. A supply chain disruption from China due to war or other geopolitical changes would be devastating to our economy and regular life.
Our stance is that reversing these trends is not only economically beneficial but also crucial for national security. We advocate for policies and initiatives that make it cost-effective and competitive to manufacture goods and provide services within the United States. This strategy may incur higher expenses in the short term but is expected to yield long-term benefits, including increased prosperity for American households and a stronger domestic economy.
The PAC believes that boosting American manufacturing and service industries will enhance the purchasing power of the average consumer, leading to economic growth reminiscent of the boom years. Drawing inspiration from historical figures like Henry Ford, who understood the importance of a strong domestic workforce, we emphasize the need for a self-reliant USA that produces most of what it consumes.
Our goal is to steer the American economy away from a downward spiral caused by offshoring towards a future where domestic production and employment are prioritized, aligning with both economic and national security interests. By sending most manufacturing to Communist China we have inadvertently enriched our global adversary who wants nothing less than Global domination and armed conflict with peaceful, democratic nations.