Greg Duckworth | SC is Right Here in the USA
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20 Feb SC is Right Here in the USA

A major highlight of this past week was the celebration of the rollout of Boeing’s 787-10 ‘Dreamliner’. Governor Henry McMaster, and my legislative colleagues joined President Donald Trump at Boeing’s North Charleston assembly plant for the celebration.

Made in the USA

President Trump called Boeing’s new Dreamliner “an amazing piece of art” to an audience of more than 5,000 people consisting mostly of Dreamliner production workers. He was warmly received and his remarks were frequently punctuated with the crowd shouting, “USA! USA! USA!”

“We’re here today to celebrate American engineering and American manufacturing. We’re also here today to celebrate jobs,” the President said. “This is our mantra – buy American and hire American. We want products made in America, made by American hands. We’re going to fight for every last American job.”

He added, “As your president I will do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and get our great people back to work.”

Mr. Trump also pledged to stop companies from reaching overseas, both for jobs and equipment. Our goal as a nation must be to rely less on imports and more on products made here in the USA,” Trump said. “Right here in the USA.”

President Trump strongly advocates for common-sense policies to get government out of the way of job creators like Boeing. I share his zeal for private enterprise and we know with world-class employers like Boeing, the future of our state remains bright.

 

 

South Carolina Reaps the Benefit of Boeing

While the Dreamliner is assembled in North Charleston, Boeing relies on a supply chain where parts are made around the world and throughout America. But few appreciate that Boeing has an enormous economic impact on South Carolina.

  • There are 294 supplier/vendor locations throughout the Palmetto State supporting Boeing.
  • Boeing spends $355 million annualy with SC suppliers.
  • The total economic impact of the aerospace cluster in SC is $17.4 billion annually with compensation for the cluster totaling $7.3 billion.

Right-to-Work at Boeing

President Trump’s appearance came two days after Boeing workers voted overwhelmingly against union representation. It was a stinging setback for organized labor and strengthened SC’s reputation as a strong right-to-work state. More than 2,800 of the 3,000 production workers eligible to cast election ballots, voted. Of those, a whopping 74 percent voted against unionization which was led by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

 

Remembering Rep. Joe Neal

Our 6th week of the legislative session was marked with sorrow as we lost a friend and colleague, Representative Joseph H. “Joe” Neal of Hopkins, SC. An ordained minister, Reverend Neal was first elected in 1992 and is fondly remembered as a “gentle giant” and “friend to all.” His hallmark was a booming voice of distinction. His passion for the people of our state will remain etched in the hearts of those who knew him and enshrined in the legislative proposals he championed. Please join me in praying for his family, parishioners, and friends as they mourn his death and celebrate his legacy.

 

 

Work on the House floor was light, but committee work continued throughout the week. Of note was Real ID legislation. A number of years ago the federal government imposed requirements on the issuance of recognized government identification cards such as a driver’s license or stand-alone identification card. It was another federal mandate on states and we’ve fought full compliance to every extent possible, on principle.

Thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don’t hesitate to contact me.