; support for manufacturing-related activities are dispersed across several agencies in the executive branch. (4) Manufacturing employment, output, and exports are impacted by a myriad of factors including the state of infrastructure and transportation, tax policies, environmental and other business regulations, trade policies, innovation ecosystems, workforce development, and education initiatives. Legislation and executive actions can have unintended impact on the growth of manufacturing in the United States. (5) Manufacturers account for 11 percent of the total gross domestic product output in the United States, employing 8 percent of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing is more than 2 trillion dollars. There are nearly 13 million manufacturing employees in the United States, with an average annual compensation of about $80,000. (6) Given that 99 percent of manufacturing firms are small and medium size enterprises with a predominantly local employment footprint, workforce development programs must be rooted in local circumstance and requirements. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that a well-designed National Manufacturing Strategy would benefit the United States economy in several important ways, including the following: (1) A revitalized manufacturing sector would enable the United States to increase its economic growth from domestic and export production. (2) Manufacturing jobs continue to pay higher wages and benefits than non-manufacturing jobs. Average domestic wages would rise in response to growing manufacturing output. (3) Manufacturing industries undertake two-thirds of private-sector research and development, which fuels the innovation that serves as a primary engine of economic growth. A growing manufacturing sector would help lay the foundations for future economic expansion. (4) The United States would expand its long-standing leadership in advanced manufacturing technologies with Federal investments in manufacturing research and development, education, and workforce