October 17, 2017
Washington, DC
Signatures updated: 10/20/17
Over the last few decades, we have seen America lose its global status as a manufacturing powerhouse. Millions of jobs have moved to China, Mexico, India and elsewhere, turning too many American communities into ghost towns. Harmful regulatory policies, high corporate taxes, and trade cheating have all contributed to this harmful trend.
Not only have we ceded ground to much of the world on manufacturing, but harmful policies and an increased hostility to our nation’s Intellectual Property foundations have undermined American leadership in innovation and technology. According to U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s International IP Index this year, the US has dropped from 1st to 10th place (tied with Hungary) in the protection of “patents, related rights and limitations.” This is the first year that the US had not been in first place in this annual index.
Patent protection was enshrined in our Constitution and has set us apart from the rest of the world in protecting property of all kinds. It is the main reason that the U.S. has led the world in innovation. But in recent years, a combination of bad legislation, troubling Supreme Court decisions, anti-patent rhetoric at all levels of our government have weakened the U.S. patent system—once the crown jewel of our economy. Many inventors and venture capitalists are now beginning to look at Germany, England—and even China—as better environments to protect their innovations.
We cannot afford to lose our role as the world’s innovator. This is particularly true because IP-intensive industries accounted for 38% of our GDP in 2014.
President Reagan faced similar challenges after taking office. Then, America’s global economic leadership was threatened by Japan, so Reagan set up a high-level commission and advanced policies to bolster our industrial competitiveness. A blue-ribbon commission appointed by President Reagan found that “inadequate protection of intellectual property rights” was “among the reasons for [a] decline in the U.S. comparative advantage in high technology.”
In response, the administration took steps to strengthen our IP and patent protections, among other important steps. Partnered with pro-growth tax cuts and paring back needless regulation, the Reagan administration reversed much of the decline, and the U.S. continued its economic leadership in the high-tech space.
America now finds itself in a similar situation, and must once again act quickly to reverse the decline. While America then faced the challenge of Japan threatening our economic and innovation leadership, today we are being challenged by China and South Korea, among others.
The conservative movement stands resolute in calling for the implementation of an agenda to reverse our decline in industrial and innovative competitiveness. That agenda includes:
- Tax cuts and reforms. The U.S. has one of the highest corporate taxes in the world and a tax system that is complex and burdensome. Cutting the corporate rate and simplifying the code will encourage more businesses to do business in the United States, allow the return of capital to the U.S., and spur economic growth.
- Regulatory reform. Our economy has been burdened by over-regulation at every level, imposing costly mandates on businesses, consumers and entrepreneurs. The Trump administration has already begun to roll back many of these costly regulations, sending important signals to the markets and to entrepreneurs—and they must continue to do more. This is especially the case when it comes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Since its creation in 2010, the CFPB has used its far reaching and unchecked regulatory powers to levy billions of dollars in penalties against businesses. This has created further economic uncertainty as consumers have become saddled with higher costs and fewer choices when it comes to accessing financial products and services. Permanent regulatory rollback at the congressional level would bring even more certainty and confidence than executive orders (which can be reversed by future administrations).
- Patent Protection. The administration, Congress, and the courts need to take steps to reverse the declining protection of patents and the anti-patent rhetoric that has infected government at all levels. The administration needs to staff key agencies with individuals who understand the important role of patents, and stop administrative action that make it easier to invalidate them. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), for instance, is an administrative tribunal created after previous congressional reform and has been labeled a “patent death squad” with the sole purpose of invalidating patents. In addition, U.S. officials must stand strong against attempts by other nations to bolster their domestic companies by undermining the IP protection of U.S. companies. Congress needs to reject harmful legislation that would undermine patent rights and only push legislation that strengthens those rights. Finally, the courts must put an end to the hostile decisions that make it harder for innovators to protect their Constitutionally protected property rights.
- Enforcing trade deals. While there are differing opinions on trade, we are united in the belief that the U.S. must stand up for the enforcement of existing trade agreements and ensure that we are not being taken advantage of. The administration must insist that our trading partners live up to the terms of our agreements and not undermine them through lack of due process, illegal subsidization, forced technology transfer, dumping, and other forms of cheating.
A pro-growth, pro-innovation, pro-enforcement and anti-regulatory agenda is critical to reversing many of the destructive policies of the last eight years (and in many cases longer). The leaders of our movement urge our elected and appointed officials follow the lead of President Reagan by taking strong action to combat the threats to our industrial and innovation competitiveness. We must remove any question that the United States of America can lead the world on innovation, manufacturing and economic growth.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Former Attorney General President Ronald Reagan |
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop Chairman, Conservative Action Project Former White House Advisor, President Ronald Reagan |
| The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman Constitutional Congress, Inc. |
The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
| Adam Brandon President FreedomWorks |
David Bozell President ForAmerica |
| The Honorable Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring |
Cleta Mitchell, Esq. |
| Diana Banister President and Partner Shirley & Banister Public Affairs |
William L. Walton Chairman CNP Action, Inc. |
| Lisa B. Nelson CEO American Legislative Exchange Council |
Alfred S. Regnery Chairman Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund |
| The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Chief Assistant to President Reagan for Domestic Affairs |
Rebecca Hagelin Secretary, Council for National Policy Board of Directors, FamilyTalk |
| Tom Giovanetti President Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) |
Rick Manning President Americans for Limited Government |
| The Honorable Ken Cuccinelli President Senate Conservatives Fund |
The Honorable James C. Miller III Budget Director for President Reagan, 1985-1988 President Reagan’s OMB |
| Mathew D. Staver, Esq. Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel |
Alan P. Dye Senior Partner Webster, Chamberlain & Bean |
| The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell Chairman The Weyrich Lunch |
Ron Robinson President Young America’s Foundation |
| Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D. Chairman The Institute on Religion and Democracy |
Joseph A. Morris Morris & De La Rosa |
| Lou Cordia President, Cordia & Associates, and Executive Director, President Reagan’s Alumni Association |
Bob Adams President Revive America PAC |
| Col. Francis X. De Luca, USMCR (Ret.) President Civitas Institute |
Lewis K. Uhler President National Tax Limitation Committee |
| Seton Motley President Less Government |
Rod D. Martin Founder & CEO The Martin Organization, Inc. |
| Sherri R. Martin Executive Vice President The Martin Organization, Inc. |
Haley E. Martin President The Martin Foundation |
| Evelio Silvera Campaign for the American Future |
Nicholas Stehle Campaign for the American Future |
| Shawn A. Mitchell Former National Chaplain, National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Jerry Melvin Former Dean Florida House of Representatives |
| Rick McCrary Senior Partner Insurance One |
Samuel B. Casey Managing Director & General Counsel Jubilee Campaign |
| Tim G. Echols Public Service Commissioner State of Georgia |
Ben Case President Case Consulting Services, Inc. |
| Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. Washington Bureau Chief Infowars.com |
Mark Bloom Owner Ole Podner, LLC |
| Willes K. Lee President, National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Kevin D. Freeman Founder NSIC Institute |
| William Mills President WPM Exploration |
Tricia Erickson President Angel Pictures & Publicity, Inc. |
| Charles J. Cooper Former Assistant Attorney General President Ronald Reagan |
Richard D. Hayes Attorney Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, LLP |
| Charles Copeland President Intercollegiate Studies Institute |
Christopher Malagisi Editor in Chief Conservative Book Club |
| Michael R. Long State Chairman NYS Conservative Party |
Caroline Lewis Owner Percipio Communications |
| Martha Boneta Executive Vice President Citizens for the Republic |
C. Preston Noell III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. |
| Rick Scarborough Founder Vision America |
Steven Thrasher Founder The App Attorney |
| The Honorable Diana Denman President The Reagan Legacy Forum |
Mike Spence Founding President Conservative Republicans of California |
| Susan A. Carleson Chairman/CEO American Civil Rights Union |
Roxanne Phillips Member, Executive Committee Council for National Policy |
| Melvin Adams Former President Renewanation |
Lee Beaman Owner Beaman Automotive Group |
| Ann L. Drexel Member, Board of Governors Council for National Policy |
Robert K. Fischer Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith |
| Ralph A. Rebandt, II Senior Pastor, Chaplain Oakland Hills Community Church/Michigan Assoication of Chiefs of Police |
The Honorable Mike Hill Former Member Florida State House |
| Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
James L. Martin Founder & Chairman 60 Plus Association |
| Curt Levey President Committee for Justice |
Rebekah Gantner Executive Director Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund |
| James Edwards Executive Director Conservatives for Property Rights |
Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
| Dick Patten President American Business Defense Council |
Matthew Kandrach President Consumer Action for a Strong Economy |
| William H. Shaker CEO Washington Marketing Group |
Peter J. Thomas Chairman The Conservative Caucus |
| The Honorable Belden Bell Board Emeritus The Heritage Foundation |
Robert Alt President & CEO The Buckeye Institute |
| Jenny Beth Martin Chairman Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund |
Phil Kerpen President American Commitment |
| George C. Landrith President & CEO Frontiers of Freedom |
Daniel Schneider Executive Director American Conservative Union |
| Thomas A. Schatz President Citizens Against Government Waste |
The Honorable Steve Buri President Discovery Institute |
| Allen Hebert Chairman American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston |
All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only.
6 Responses