NAM pushes job training

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has thrown its broad support behind the economic stimulus package being drafted — and in particular, behind the tax breaks that could be worth roughly $300 billion.

{mosads}Aric Newhouse, NAM’s senior vice president for policy and government relations, said Tuesday that the manufacturing community was pleased to see tax breaks play such a large role in the debate and that the money should not be designated only for direct spending from the federal government on infrastructure projects.

“It gets hard to get my head around how to spend that money that quickly,” he said, referring to the infrastructure investments.

NAM threw some cold water on the notion of a tax credit for job creation.

“Nobody is going to turn it down,” said former Michigan Gov. John Engler, NAM’s president, but he cautioned that the tax credit might not be that effective. Engler supports an alternative: money for job training programs. NAM is also looking to make a push for legislative tweaks that make it easier for businesses to pay for defined pension plans.

Meanwhile, NAM has its work cut out to build a relationship with incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). “Our shrine to John Dingell is in the next room,” Engler said at a briefing with reporters. “The history [with Waxman] hasn’t been as good there or as long-lasting,” he said.

Engler said NAM’s relationship with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would benefit from Reid being up for election in 2010. “When people are in cycle,” Engler said, “they’re usually interested in talking with everybody.”