The Make More in America Act of 2026 expands the Export-Import Bank's authority to finance the domestic development, commercialization, and production of critical technologies to counter foreign competition, particularly from China.
Charles "Chuck" Schumer
Senator
NY
The **Make More in America Act of 2026** fundamentally expands the mission of the Export-Import Bank to actively finance the domestic development, commercialization, and production of critical technologies, aiming to counter foreign competition, particularly from China. It establishes the new "Make More in America Program" to support U.S. manufacturing projects in strategic industries, requiring job creation commitments and prevailing wage standards. Furthermore, the bill creates an Investment Committee to develop a 10-year national investment roadmap and enhances interagency coordination to align federal resources supporting domestic industrial growth.
Make More in America Act Sets $205 Billion Lending Cap to Move Tech Manufacturing Back to U.S. Soil
The Make More in America Act of 2026 is a massive play to shift the global manufacturing balance by turning the Export-Import Bank into a domestic powerhouse. For decades, this bank focused on helping U.S. companies sell goods abroad; now, it’s being authorized to fund the actual building of factories and tech labs right here at home. With a total lending cap set at $205 billion per year through 2033, the bill targets high-stakes industries like semiconductors, drones, and biotech. The goal is simple: if it was invented in a U.S. lab, the government wants to make sure the assembly line is in a U.S. town, not overseas.
Building the Home Team
The heart of this bill is the 'Make More in America Program,' which offers a financial lifeline to companies that might otherwise take their production to countries with cheaper labor or bigger government subsidies. We’re talking about 'Industries of Interest' ranging from shipbuilding and robotics to advanced nuclear tech. For a startup founder trying to scale a new battery design or a factory owner looking to modernize their robotics, this means access to loans and 100% guarantees that private banks usually won't touch. The bill even dangles a carrot for projects in economically distressed areas or those that pay workers 110% of the local average wage, offering them better loan terms.
The Fine Print on Jobs and Pay
This isn't just a blank check for corporations. If a company with over 100 employees wants this cash, they have to stay neutral during union organizing and keep their existing collective bargaining agreements in place for the life of the loan plus two years. There’s also a strict 'prevailing wage' requirement, meaning construction workers on these projects must be paid at local union-equivalent rates. To keep everyone honest, the bill includes 'clawback' provisions: if a company misses its project deadlines or fails to pay the required wages, the government is mandated to hunt that money down and recover it.
Keeping it Clean (and Risky)
Because we’re talking about billions of taxpayer dollars, the bill sets up some guardrails. It creates an Investment Committee to map out a 10-year plan so we aren't just throwing money at random projects. It also bans any company owned by the President, members of Congress, or their families from getting a cent. However, there’s a catch for the cautious: the bill allows for a 10% default rate on these new tech loans—much higher than the 2% allowed for traditional oil and gas exports. This suggests the government is willing to take bigger risks with your tax dollars to win the tech race against China and Russia, essentially betting that the long-term economic gains will outweigh the projects that inevitably fail.