U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick praised Apple's expansion in America during remarks Thursday at the company's new advanced manufacturing center in Houston.
"President Trump set out to bring technological manufacturing back to America," Lutnick said. "And he's actually doing it, and he's doing it right now."
Appleannouncedearlier this year that it would double the size of its 250,000-square-foot facility in Houston, including the20,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing center. It'sthe first site in the U.S. to manufacture Mac minis, according to Apple.
President Donald Trump had instituted a wave of tariffs, which he said were meant to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
The Supreme Court has struck down some of the president's tariffs. Still, Trump has found other ways toimplement taxeson foreign products.
Apple's expansion in Houston is part of its $600 billion investment in American manufacturing.
In remarks Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook also emphasized his company's expansion in the United States.
"We believe in American workers and American ingenuity," he said. "And I know that together, we will accomplish extraordinary things."
American manufacturing jobs have declined slightly over the past year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas manufacturing jobs have remained about the same over the past year, according to the latest federal data.
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