Trelysa Long

One way to gauge how U.S. firms engage globally is by examining receipts from the rest of the world as a share of GDP. Policymakers should track foreign receipts as a share of GDP as a standard indicator of how U.S. firms’ global activity is evolving and whether it aligns with national economic interests.

Machine tools are key to and indicative of the health of a nation’s manufacturing sector. The United States lags behind in both the production and consumption of machine tools, especially compared with other high-wage economies.

Despite evidence to the contrary, a persistent narrative during the past two administrations has been that corporate power is getting increasingly concentrated, ergo antitrust breakups are warranted. But the latest Census Bureau data once again puts the lie to that argument.

Research and development (R&D) is central to a firm’s competitiveness, both domestically and internationally. Data from the National Science Foundation shows that U.S.-based firms have increased foreign R&D investment flows over the last decade.

U.S. R&D is becoming increasingly concentrated in a handful of states just as China accelerates its lead in advanced industries. Federal and state policymakers must expand R&D tax incentives and targeted academic research funding to reverse this trend, spur nationwide innovation, and bolster U.S. competitiveness.

The federal government has imposed a $100,000 fee on companies seeking to sponsor H-1B visas for foreign workers in specialty occupations, which could undermine U.S. efforts to attract top STEM talent. Policymakers should establish a program that grants green cards to temporary visa holders with non-social science STEM degrees.

U.S. export controls on semiconductor sales to China reduce U.S. chipmakers’ revenues, lower their R&D investment capabilities, and reduce industry employment. As such, U.S. policymakers should keep semiconductor export controls to a minimum.

Asians earn bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields at much higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups, strengthening the United States’ innovation capacity, industrial base, and global competitiveness. Their academic success is an asset that should be rewarded, not penalized.

U.S. labor productivity growth has stagnated in recent years, while China’s labor productivity has steadily grown, regularly outpacing that of the United States. U.S. policymakers should develop a national productivity strategy based on sector-specific analyses to reverse this trajectory.

If the United States fails to keep pace with China in cultivating the next generation of researchers, it risks ceding ground in the very sectors that will define economic and geopolitical leadership in the 21st century.

Digital services are the key to unlocking growth for small- and medium-sized enterprises in today’s economy. They help firms overcome financial constraints, close skills gaps, and boost productivity. Policymakers should incentivize SMEs to capitalize on those opportunities.

Robots are the future. It is time for Congress and the administration to take a number of straightforward and affordable steps to boost U.S. robotics innovation and adoption.