Today, Brooklyn-made products are exported to countries all over the world, from Canada and Brazil to Saudi Arabia and Japan. But before that was possible, America’s fourth largest city had to reinvent its manufacturing industry. Throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s, the urban economy of Brooklyn, as in many other cities, was shattered. There was massive population loss and an exodus of...

If manufacturing in the United States were its own country, it would rank as the ninth-largest economy in the world, with manufacturers contributing $2.09 trillion to the U.S. economy every year. Every dollar spent in the manufacturing sector adds another $1.37 to the economy and each manufacturing job creates another 2.5 jobs in local goods and services.

When President Obama recently signed Trade Promotion Authority and Trade Adjustment Assistance into law, it marked a victory for bipartisanship, for common sense, and, most importantly, for American businesses and our workers. By continuing to engage with trading partners throughout the world, we are ensuring that the U.S. does not cede ground in the race for economic and job growth — and we are...