Folks, make no mistake: America has been knocked down.

The unemployment rate is higher than it was in the Great Recession. Millions have lost jobs, hours, pay, health care, or the small business they started, through no fault of their own.

Even before COVID, Donald Trump’s economic policies rewarded excessive wealth over hard work, economic concentration over workers’ rights, and provided too little help for so many Americans struggling to make ends meet. And, women, Black, Latino, and Native individuals, and immigrants have never been welcomed as full participants in the economy.

But here’s what I know: There’s no greater economic engine in the world than the hard work and ingenuity of the American people.

So when I say this is no time to just build back to the way things were before, I really mean it. We have to build back better. That’s why I just announced my plan to build an inclusive economy where every American enjoys a fair return for their work and an equal chance to get ahead. That starts with ensuring that the future is made in all of America by all of America’s workers.

And, in the coming weeks, I’ll share more on the other parts of my plan, including how we will build a clean energy economy and a caring economy.

If you agree that we need a comprehensive manufacturing and innovation strategy that will not just bring back the jobs lost due to COVID-19 and Trump’s incompetence, but will create millions of new jobs, will you endorse my plan today as a citizen co-sponsor?

Here are just a few ways my plan will create high-quality, high-skill, manufacturing and innovation jobs, with a chance to join a union:

• Buy American: I start with a pretty basic idea -- when we spend taxpayer money, we should buy American products and support American jobs. I’ll strengthen our commitment to Buy American by closing loopholes and cracking down on waivers. I’ll make a $400 billion investment to power new demand for American products, materials, and services.


• Make It In America: I’ll retool and revitalize American manufacturing, especially smaller manufacturers and those owned by women and people of color, by enacting manufacturing tax credit, quadrupling support for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and creating a Treasury Department credit.


• Innovate in America: I’ll make a historic, $300 billion investment in R&D, which could help create 3 million jobs in communities across the country. This investment across all 50 states will unleash high-quality job creation in urban and rural communities, with historic investments in communities of color.

And this is just the start. I’ll increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, reverse Trump’s tax and trade policies that drove manufacturing into a recession, bring back supply chains for critical equipment, and more. And racial equity will be a defining priority, powering the economy through small business, and ensuring young people have a fair shot.

But, we can only make this plan a reality if we fight for it, together. We need to show just how many people are ready to invest in America’s manufacturing and innovation again.

If you’re with me, will you add your name as an endorser and an official citizen co-sponsor of my plan today?

Thank you,

Joe