Cantwell Announces “Huge Milestone” for Spokane Tech Hub

Cantwell Announces "Huge Milestone" for Spokane Tech Hub

Senate budget allocates $70 million for the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center, designated by the Department of Commerce in October 2023, to lead nation in developing composite materials for aerospace industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Senate passed a new minibus bill that would provide a total of $70 million of funding for the Spokane-based American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC). The AAMMC is a first-of-its-kind U.S. testbed that brings advanced manufacturing and training facilities together to speed up testing and production of large composite aircraft components.

"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 U.S. Senator 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.

In January 2025, 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.

Nearly 50 Spokane-area organizations-including Advanced Thermoplastics Composites (ATC), Gonzaga University, and the International Association of Machinists District 751-collaborated on the proposal to establish the Tech Hub in Spokane. In October 2023, after considering over 300 applications, EDA named the Spokane consortium as one of 31 designated Tech Hubs in the country. Thanks to this designation, the AAMMC is eligible to partner with the Department of Defense to make advanced large-scale manufacturing of composite aerospace components a reality.

The designation centers the Inland Northwest as a hub for aerospace suppliers, private investment, new products, and companies in the U.S. aerospace supply chain. According to the consortium, there are 54 aerospace suppliers within 20 miles of Spokane. The hub focuses on research and development of large thermoplastic composite aviation materials, which can make aircraft and spacecraft more fuel-efficient. The global aviation industry is looking to composite materials and advanced manufacturing as a solution to reduce carbon emissions and lower operating costs.

Sen. Cantwell was the main architect and key negotiator of the CHIPS & Science Act, which created the Tech Hubs program. In her position as Commerce chair, she was instrumental in securing the science R&D funding authorizations in the 11th hour of negotiations. In April 2023, Sen. Cantwell invited NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan to Spokane, where he saw firsthand how Spokane organizations have collaborated to drive the region's current and future potential as a leader in technology innovation. In July 2023, Sen. Cantwell hosted the Washington State Space Summit, bringing together 20 space companies, industry groups, and educators from across the State of Washington for a trade show and panel discussion.