Kaptur, Brown Lead Ohio House Democrats in Letter to Trump Administration Demanding Answers on Frozen Manufacturing FundsPress ReleaseTradeJobs and the Economy

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) and Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown (OH-11) have led a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick expressing concern regarding the abrupt withholding of all federal funding supporting Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The letter requests additional information from the Administration on their decision to suspend funding, the timeline for resolution of a pending audit, and the potential interim measures to protect Ohio's manufacturers.

In addition to Reps. Kaptur and Brown, the letter was signed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13), and Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01).

Last week, the Department of Commerce paused federal funding to Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) pending the results of a years-long audit. The unprecedented move threatens six MEP centers across the state, including MAGNET in Northeast Ohio and CIFT in Northwest Ohio.

The letter states: "Ohio is the nation's third-largest manufacturing state by employment, with a diverse industrial base that includes aerospace, automotive, steel, polymers, and defense manufacturing. Prolonged disruption in MEP funding would stall technical assistance efforts, workforce programs, and modernization projects already underway at hundreds of Ohio firms - delaying supply-chain upgrades and jeopardizing statewide economic growth."

"The Trump Administration and Commerce Department's reckless decision to freeze funding to Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership offices will hit small and mid-size manufacturers hard," said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). "This will halt work to grow manufacturing jobs, delay critical upgrades, inject uncertainty into local production lines, and undermine new jobs being created for workers our nation depends upon. If you say you want to help people make it in America, this is a big step in the wrong direction. I thank Congresswoman Brown and my Ohio colleagues for joining me in echoing Governor DeWine's call to unfreeze these funds."

"We need answers yesterday on this funding freeze that is creating real uncertainty for Ohio manufacturers. The Administration has cited an ongoing audit but has failed to be forthcoming about the concerns, the process, or the timeline for resolution. MAGNET and the other MEP centers in Ohio have a long track record of helping small and medium-sized manufacturers grow, hire more people, and compete with China. If the Trump Administration truly wants to support American manufacturing, they would provide transparency and find reasonable path forward instead of simply pulling the rug out from the whole state," said Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11).

The text of the letter is as follows (pdf here):

December 17, 2025

The Honorable Howard Lutnick

Secretary

US Department of Commerce

1401 Constitution Ave NW

Washington, DC 20230

Secretary Lutnick,

We write to express concern regarding the Department of Commerce's recent decision to pause federal funding for Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers and to request additional information on the Department's decision-making process.

We understand the Department of Commerce issued Ohio's MEP program with an initial funding notice that was later suspended pending the outcome of a years-long audit. The pause occurred before the state or the MEP centers received the audit's findings and had an opportunity to review or respond to any identified issues. Following the Commerce Department's action, the Ohio Department of Development froze its state cost-share, effectively placing all state centers into financial crisis.

While we share a commitment to addressing any incidences of fraud and appreciate the ongoing work of the Office of Inspector General, we are concerned that the sudden nature of the funding suspension without any transparency or guidance could have widespread and long-term impacts on the Ohio manufacturing sector.

Ohio's MEP centers, including MAGNET, TechSolve, CIFT, FastLane, PolymerOhio, and OSU's Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, are a critical resource for the state's more than 14,000 manufacturers, most of which are small and medium-sized firms that rely on MEP services to stay competitive. MEP centers across Ohio play an important role in supporting manufacturers, driving innovation and technological advancement, and strengthening economic development through the creation of high-quality jobs. Furthermore, these centers produce a high return on Federal investment, with every $1 of federal invested in MEP generating approximately $24 in economic activity.[1]

Ohio is the nation's third-largest manufacturing state by employment, with a diverse industrial base that includes aerospace, automotive, steel, polymers, and defense manufacturing. Prolonged disruption in MEP funding would stall technical assistance efforts, workforce programs, and modernization projects already underway at hundreds of Ohio firms - delaying supply-chain upgrades and jeopardizing statewide economic growth.

Given the urgency of the situation and statewide impact, we request:

1. A detailed explanation of the factors that informed the decision to suspend funding, including any assessment on how the suspension of funds will affect small and medium-sized manufacturers across the State.
2. An update on the current status of the years-long audit, the preliminary findings, and an anticipated timeline for completion.
3. Whether, and to what extent, the Department consulted with Ohio's MEP centers, the MEP advisory committee, businesses who use these centers, or other relevant stakeholders prior to suspending funds, and how the Department intends to ensure a fair and transparent process that allows affected centers to respond to any findings.
4. How the Department is currently holding or intends to use the impounded funds, and whether interim or bridge funding options are being considered to prevent layoffs and service disruptions while the review continues.

At a time when US manufacturing is facing market access loss, foreign competition, and rising input costs, it is more important now than ever that we support domestic supply chains. Ohio's manufacturers rely on MEP centers for the support they need to grow, innovate, and stay competitive.

We urge the Department to provide prompt answers to these questions and to consider interim measures that protect Ohio's manufacturers and workers while the audit process is completed. Prolonged uncertainty risks jeopardizing local manufacturers, slowing statewide economic growth, and diminishing our competitiveness in an increasingly challenging global market.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a detailed response to the questions outlined above.

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