Congressional Robotics Caucus relaunches to help U.S. industry

The Congressional Robotics Caucus, WPI, and MassRobotics discuss U.S. robotics policy. Source: MassRobotics

While the U.S. does not have a centralized industrial policy, various stakeholders have worked to elevate the priority of robotics. Last week, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) announced the relaunch of the Congressional Robotics Caucus.

McGovern will serve as co-chair of the caucus with Representatives Bob Latta (R-OH), Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA).

“Serving as co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus for the past few years has opened my eyes to the promises and risks associated with the rise of robotics—whether enabled by artificial intelligence or not,” stated McGovern on his website. “I look forward to sharing innovative ideas with members of the caucus for the good of our educational institutions, manufacturers, and civil society partners nationally.”

Since 2007, the advisory body of the U.S. House of Representatives has served as a bipartisan effort. It has provided a forum to present and discuss issues around robotics, worked to increase awareness among members of Congress about robotics research and industry, and promoted U.S. economic competitiveness.

The Congressional Robotics Caucus had not convened formally since 2019, according to Henrik Christensen, the Qualcomm Chancellor’s Chair of Robot Systems and a distinguished professor of computer science at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego. He is also the main editor of “A Roadmap for U.S. Robotics.”

The caucus did participate in a Congressional briefing last year, along with the National Science Foundation (NSF), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and MassRobotics, to promote a national robotics strategy.

U.S. faces competitive challenges

Federal, state, and investor attention has shifted to artificial intelligence, but there needs to be interagency coordination of hardware and workforce initiatives to facilitate reshoring of manufacturing, Christensen told The Robot Report.

Similarly, Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), had said late last year that McGovern intended to restart the Congressional Robotics Caucus. While A3 reported a slowdown in robotics spending in 2024, Burnstein expressed optimism about the industry.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) ranked the U.S. as 11th in terms of 2023 robot density, or number of robots per 100,000 human workers. In March 2025, China’s government announced plans to invest nearly $137 billion in robotics, AI, and innovation over the next 20 years, noted the IFR.

“As someone who worked in a manufacturing research lab and has visited nearly 200 manufacturing businesses in Michigan, I’ve seen firsthand how advanced technologies—like robotics—are key to driving U.S. competitiveness,” said Rep. Stevens.

“I look forward to working with my fellow co-chairs to advance bipartisan policies that support our workforce, strengthen American manufacturing, and secure our global leadership in robotics,” she added. “At this critical inflection point, the Robotics Caucus is more important than ever to ensuring we win the race for the mid-21st century.”

Robot density in the manufacturing industry in 2023. | Source: IFR

Congressional Robotics Caucus to brief lawmakers

In addition to educating legislators, the Congressional Robotics Caucus plans communicate with industry experts and discuss risks and “efforts to improve the responsible, ethical, and robust deployment of robotics across many sectors.”

The caucus said it “may explore topics such as education, international competitiveness, a national robotics strategy, employee protections, employer incentives, and ethics, among others.” It plans to brief members of Congress on the importance of paying attention to automation domestically and internationally.

“As a computer engineer who has spent decades working in technology, I believe robotics will be one of the most transformative forces of the 21st century,” wrote Rep. Obernolte. “From manufacturing and healthcare to agriculture and national defense, robotics—especially when paired with artificial intelligence—will reshape nearly every sector of our economy.”

“The Congressional Robotics Caucus will ensure that Congress is equipped with the knowledge and tools to support innovation, safeguard our global leadership, and promote policies that reflect American values,” he said.

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Group to work with industry experts

The Congressional Robotics Caucus co-chairs said they hope to provide a venue for their fellow Congresspeople to see how robots shape their constituents’ communities.

“As co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus, I remain committed to ensuring the United States remains at the forefront of robotics and automation,” Rep. Latta said. “By educating our colleagues, supporting research and development, and encouraging public-private partnerships, the Robotics Caucus will help to foster innovation and support a workforce ready to lead in a rapidly evolving global economy.”

The caucus said it will engage outside stakeholders in key policy developments and major issues affecting the robotics sector.

“The Association for Advancing Automation is excited about the establishment of a Congressional Robotics Caucus in the 119^th Congress,” commented A3, which has been part of the advisory committee. “We applaud the bipartisan leadership of Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), who represent constituencies across America from coast to coast.”

“We believe that accelerated adoption of robotics, along with enabling technologies like artificial intelligence, machine vision, and motion control, will strengthen every U.S. industry in the future,” the organization said. “Robotics and automation are essential to bringing more manufacturing back to the U.S. while creating better, safer and higher-paying jobs for American workers. We look forward to working with the Robotics Caucus to raise awareness among policymakers and advance this critical technology area.”

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