The US Senate has passed a new bill that provides a total of $70 million of funding for the Spokane-based American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) in Washington state. The AAMMC is a first-of-its-kind US testbed that brings advanced manufacturing and training facilities together to speed up testing and production of large composite aircraft components.
The Spokane-based American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center aims to upscale US manufacturing capabilities for the aeronautical sector. Image courtesy of AAMMC.
“This is great news for the Spokane tech hub. It means that there will now be a serious investment in the composite advances we need for our defense, NASA, and aviation competitiveness. The creation of this consortium that is now eligible for these funds is a huge milestone for the Spokane region,” said US Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who serves as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.
Senate overturns Trump funding delay
In January 2025, in the final days of the Biden Administration, AAMMC was awarded a $48 million federal grant from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to grow the aviation materials manufacturing industry in Spokane. However, in May of last year, the Trump administration indefinitely delayed the promised funding, along with funds for multiple other Tech Hubs throughout the country…