WASHINGTON – On Friday, July 31, 2020, the House passed bipartisan legislation that included U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s (NJ-5) provision to address U.S. supply chain challenges caused by COVID-19. 

Gottheimer’s provision highlights the need for additional investment in domestic manufacturing supply lines, specifically through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

The New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP), who Gottheimer has worked closely with, is a recipient of this federal investment. 

“I’m proud that the House has passed my provision to support addressing the U.S. supply chain and manufacturing issues brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “To get through this crisis, we need robust supply chains here in the United States that will get the necessary materials to the right manufacturers to produce the equipment our nation needs to respond and recover.” 

Gottheimer has raised alarms in Congress regarding the shortage of needles and syringes that the U.S. needs to adequately deploy a COVID-19 vaccine. Gottheimer led a bipartisan letter signed by 25 Members of Congress to House leadership to address the issue.

Recently, it was announced that BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), based in the Fifth District in Franklin Lakes, is entering into a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for an initial order of 50 million injection devices and to invest in expanding manufacturing infrastructure to create additional capacity to prepare for an eventual deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine.

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