Expert warns 'China Shock' on manufacturing that struck one state could spread to the rest of the country via the 'Big Beautiful Bill': 'A chilling effect'

Few states were hit harder by "the China Shock" than North Carolina. Now, few are seeing a bigger manufacturing revival. This is an economic turnaround story that every American should hear.

After China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, factory jobs in North Carolina collapsed — especially in textiles, apparel, and furniture. Entire communities in places like Hickory and Alamance County saw their local economies hollowed out.

Between 2000 and 2010, the state lost nearly 330,000 manufacturing jobs — that's almost half its industrial workforce gone in less than a decade.

The Great Recession accelerated those job losses as companies invested in automation. Since then, manufacturing jobs have been basically flat.

But that could soon change. In 2022, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act — the largest investment in clean energy and advanced manufacturing in U.S. history.

North Carolina has emerged as one of the biggest winners of this law. Companies have flocked to the state, investing more than $20 billion in new advanced manufacturing facilities.

These factories are expected to generate thousands of jobs. This manufacturing renaissance could come to an early end if the IRA is repealed as part of the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill."

To that end, few U.S. senators will hold more sway in these negotiations than Thom Tillis from North Carolina.

Tillis has voiced concern about killing the IRA, and he was one of four senators who publicly supported the protection of clean energy incentives. 

North Carolina has benefited from $23 billion in clean energy manufacturing investments since the IRA passed. If the law is repealed, the state could lose 17,500 future jobs. Tillis has warned that an abrupt repeal would create "whiplash" for investors and "devastate" America's ability to remain an innovation leader. 

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An immediate phaseout, he told The Washington Post, would "have a chilling effect" on "future investments" in the domestic energy sector. 

In fact, the manufacturing renaissance resulting from the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has amounted to a 279% increase in manufacturing across America. 

Whether that manufacturing growth will continue may be up to the senators debating the Big Beautiful Bill in Congress.

Editor's note: If you want to use your voice to make a difference, you can look up how to contact your own state senators here — whether or not (and perhaps especially if not) they appear on this list. 

Michael Thomas is the founder of Cleanview, a platform that helps clean energy leaders track the energy transition in real-time, and the author of a newsletter about climate change, Distilled, that has been read by more than 50 million people. Follow Michael on LinkedIn here, where this post appeared in its original form, or subscribe to his newsletter here.

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