Rep. Josh Riley and more than 80 other congress members urged the Trump administration to continue funding a program that supports small and medium–sized manufacturing companies.

Created by Congress in 1988, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership is led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and operates centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Through public and private funds, the program helped manufacturers achieve $15 billion in sales while creating or retaining 108,000 jobs last fiscal year.

Each center helps manufacturers with under 500 employees become more “productive, profitable and competitive,” said Carol Miller, executive director of the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology, an organization that assists manufacturers in the Southern Tier. The organization is one of 10 regional centers across New York under the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

On April 1, the Trump administration announced that 10 state programs under the Manufacturing Extension Partnership would not have their contracts renewed. New York was not one of the affected states.

Eight days later, 86 House Democrats, including Riley, signed a letter criticizing the administration for not renewing the contracts “despite Congress authorizing and appropriating funding for this purpose.” The letter was addressed to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik and another official in the department.

“At a time when we must harness the power of technology to be effective and competitive producers, we must continue to fund MEPs and provide American businesses with the tools they need,” the letter read. “We call on the Administration to reverse course, renew funding for the ten MEP centers that lapsed April 1st, and continue to support the MEP program to advance American manufacturing.”

The administration has since restored funding through the end of the fiscal year while officials reevaluate the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Miller said that funding for another batch of state programs must be renewed on July 1. New York’s regional centers face a renewal deadline of Jan. 1, 2026.

Two weeks ago, Riley held a press conference at Eck Plastic Arts in Downtown Binghamton, where he urged the federal government to keep funding the program. He also announced plans to create a “manufacturing advisory board” of leaders from across the 19th Congressional District.

Riley’s office did not return Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

Eck Plastic Arts, a custom plastic parts manufacturer, has received support from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, according to Sean Reardon, the company’s sales manager .

“At the end of the day, manufacturing is a service business,” Reardon wrote. “We are in competition locally, nationally and globally, so we rely on affordable partnerships, specifically our MEP to improve our productivity, innovation and competitiveness.”

Miller said the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology and other program centers offer a variety of services, including cybersecurity assessments, software selection assistance and process improvement. A partner with Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, the organization has placed student interns at manufacturers. She said graduates entering the workforce are “essential” for regional companies in “desperate need of deferred positions, especially around engineering.”

“As the United States seeks to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce dependence on China and other low-cost nations, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership stands as a proven, scalable solution to support this strategic shift,” Reardon wrote. “COVID-19 and global tensions have exposed the fragility of offshore supply chains. Instead of defunding MEPs, increased funding for them is an investment in economic security, national resilience, and strategic autonomy.”

“More funding will allow them to map supply chains, close capability gaps, and accelerate the growth of domestic sources,” he continued.