Obama to announce $140 million to support job hubs in Chicago, Detroit

[okaawhatever]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by greatauntoftriplets (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama planned to announce on Tuesday that two new manufacturing institutes aimed at creating quality jobs would be located in Chicago and Detroit and be supported by $140 million in federal funds, the White House said in a statement.

In an afternoon event, Obama will say that both of the institutes will be led by the Defense Department. The Detroit institute will focus on lightweight and modern metals manufacturing, while the Chicago-based hub will be based around digital manufacturing and design technologies.

Obama, whose calls Chicago his home town, is seeking ways to find jobs for middle-class Americans and raise their incomes. In the absence of a consensus in Congress on how to proceed, he is acting on his own where he can.

Part of that push is an effort to expand manufacturing jobs, many of which were lost in preceding decades as U.S. companies searched for cheaper labor abroad.

With a Republican-led House of Representatives focused on cutting federal spending and reducing the size of government, the president has been forced to scale back his plans for the institutes, finding money from savings within existing programs rather than securing a big chunk of new spending for them.

Obama will also announce a competition for the next manufacturing institute, this one on advanced composites, as part of his pledge to launch four institutes this year.

Obama introduced the manufacturing innovation institute idea in 2013. It is based on a German model and draws on a pilot program in Youngstown, Ohio. The president's goal is for there to be 45 such institutes in all.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/us-obama-manufacturing-idUSBREA1O13620140225

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Obama is putting these two centers under D of Defense to avoid funding issues with Congress. Good deal.

[frazzled]

1. It's actually more money than that

Because the $70 million that Chicago is getting from DoD, for example, is being matched by other funds:

The decision, expected to be announced by President Obama Tuesday, comes after a $70 million grant was awarded to UI Labs, making the city the official site for the national Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute organized by the Department of Defense.

The digital lab, the first of its kinds, will also be backed by $250 million in funding from state, industry, academic, government, community, and organization supporters and partners of UI Labs, more than tripling the federal investment made by the Department of Defense.

“This new Digital Lab has the potential to revolutionize the way the United States approaches manufacturing and a major effort will be centered in Illinois,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, who led the congressional effort to secure the grant. “Illinois will undoubtedly benefit from the thousands of jobs created through this research.”

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Chicago-Wins-Bid-for-320M-Mega-Manufacturing-Hub-246706101.html

[okaawhatever]

2. Awesome. Thanks. nt

[mountain grammy]

3. Hey VW, Detroit is calling!

[ancianita]

4. But what do those thousands of jobs for a defense industry digitally manufacture?

[navarth]

5. This was already posted, I think

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014736001

wherein I registered my disappointment that the 'Detroit' institute is going to be located in Canton, a western suburb that doesn't need any help, thank you very much.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. Sorry, but we're locking this as a dupe.

Please see the thread linked below. Thanks very much.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014736001