Delaware’s Congresswoman Sarah McBride Leads 86 Lawmakers in Demanding Restoration of Manufacturing Funding

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.), alongside her colleague Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), led more than 80 of their House colleagues in calling on the Trump-Vance Administration to reverse its abrupt and harmful decision to eliminate federal funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in ten states—including Delaware.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Acting Under Secretary Craig Burkhardt, Rep. McBride and her colleagues pressed the administration to restore MEP funding that Congress already authorized and appropriated. These centers provide small and mid-sized manufacturers with the tools they need to modernize, grow, and compete in a global economy—supporting good-paying jobs and local economies across the country.

“If we want to rebuild American manufacturing, we have to start by backing the manufacturers who are already here—especially small businesses,” said Rep. McBride. “The MEP program is a proven, cost-effective investment that helps local manufacturers expand, innovate, and hire. DEMEP is helping Delaware manufacturers compete and win—right now. Stripping this support away puts hundreds of local jobs at risk and undercuts our ability to strengthen supply chains, create economic opportunity, and bring manufacturing home. The administration must reverse course immediately and restore this critical support for American workers.”

The Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DEMEP) has a direct and powerful impact on Delaware's economy. Between October 2023 and September 2024 alone, DEMEP supported $42.5 million in new investments, generated $35 million in new and retained sales, and helped retain 423 manufacturing jobs. Eliminating federal funding and access to the national MEP network threatens DEMEP’s ability to continue delivering these critical services.

Congress recently appropriated $175 million for the MEP program through the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, maintaining the levels enacted in FY2024. Despite this, on April 1st, the Department of Commerce informed MEP centers in Delaware and nine other states that it would not renew their funding—circumventing both the intent of Congress and the statutory guardrails on transferring or impounding funds.

Since 1988, MEP centers have worked with over 150,000 manufacturers and helped create and retain more than 1.6 million jobs. Every federal dollar invested in the program generates more than $27 in new client investment and nearly $25 in new sales growth for small manufacturers.

The letter also asks the administration to clarify whether it plans to shutter the entire MEP program and demands transparency around the decision-making process, including whether any impact assessments or stakeholder consultations were conducted.

Read the full letter HERE. Signers include Rep. Sarah McBride, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, Rep. Shontel M. Brown, Rep. Robin L. Kelly, Rep. Sarah Elfreth, Rep. James P. McGovern, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson, Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Rep. Haley M. Stevens, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. Gabe Amo, Rep. Sharice L. Davids, Rep. Summer L. Lee, Rep. Valerie P. Foushee, Rep. Andrea Salinas, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Rep. Deborah K. Ross, Rep. Eric Sorensen, Rep. Gwen S. Moore, Rep. Bradley Scott Schneider, Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, Rep. Joyce Beatty, Rep. Glenn Ivey, Rep. Donald G. Davis, Rep. Donald Norcross, Rep. Norma J. Torres, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Ritchie Torres, Rep. Josh Riley, Rep. Jared Golden, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Brittany Pettersen, Rep. Timothy M. Kennedy, Rep. Herbert C. Conaway, Jr., Rep. Marc A. Veasey, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Rep. Adam Smith, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Nikki Budzinski, Rep. Rick Larsen, Rep. Dan Goldman, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, Rep. Suzan K. DelBene, Rep. Paul D. Tonko, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Rep. Chris Pappas, Rep. April McClain Delaney, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Shomari Figures, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Becca Balint, Rep. Wesley Bell, Rep. Ed Case, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, Rep. Laura Friedman, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Rep. Linda T. Sánchez, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II, Rep. Janelle S. Bynum, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Rep. Bill Foster, Rep. Seth Magaziner, Rep. Susie Lee, Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, Rep. Jesús G. "Chuy" García, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, Rep. Val Hoyle, Rep. Nellie Pou, Rep. Robert J. Menendez, Rep. Shri Thanedar, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Rep. Dina Titus.

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