PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- U.S. Senator Jack Reed wants Rhode Island on President Obama's radar as he calls on Congress to provide $1 billion to open 15 manufacturing hubs around the country.
In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama praised a new manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio, and outlined a plan for creating more such centers.
Reed wants the next revolution in manufacturing to start right here.
"Rhode Island is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and would make a great site for one of these new, advanced manufacturing centers," Reed said in a statement Friday. "There will be many regions vying for this. But I am hopeful that the state, along with our universities and local businesses, could partner to form an effective coalition where industry, academia, and government collaborate on advanced manufacturing."