Friends,

We send this newsletter to you just days after the tragic freighter accident on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Our hearts ache for the lives lost and for the families and communities left devastated by this heartbreaking event. We thank the first responders and search and rescue teams that have worked tirelessly.

As leaders in domestic manufacturing industries, AMMA recognizes infrastructure’s critical role in our national economy.   We will look for ways to contribute to the local communities impacted by this tragedy and continue to advocate in Washington for investments to improve the safety of our transportation networks.

In AMMA news, this month, we welcome our new member, M21. M21 offers the world’s first two-chambered mask design system utilizing its patent-pending Directional Airflow Technology.

Springtime in Washington, DC, is a time for action on many key issues.  AMMA will remain a strong voice for increasing enforcement of trade and tariff violations that threaten fair competition. We will also support bipartisan efforts to hold bad actors accountable.

Our lobbying team continues to meet with members of Congress to promote investments in domestic PPE manufacturing and enforce Buy American mandates. We also look forward to welcoming all of you to DC in June for our Board Meeting and Day at the Capitol to meet with elected officials.

The lobbying team has been following up with individual congressional offices to address questions or concerns from previous meetings. Additionally, the policy team analyzed the impact of the budget agreement on government funding for the rest of 2024, released on March 21.

This budget agreement will have implications for multiple agencies procuring domestically produced PPE. Specifically, total funding for ASPR was $3.6 billion, which is relatively flat from 2023. Meanwhile, BARDA’s funding was up $65 million from 2023, at around $1 billion.  Finally, the lobbying team is currently working with a member of the House to initiate a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

Thank you for your continued support of AMMA and our initiatives,

Eric