WASHINGTON, December 3, 2025 – The Trump administration is preparing to ramp up support for robotics development, viewing the technology as a natural follow-on to its AI initiatives and a tool to reclaim U.S. manufacturing supremacy from China, according to industry executives and government sources.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has held discussions with robotics company leaders and signaled strong backing for the sector. A Commerce Department spokesperson said: “We are committed to robotics and advanced manufacturing because they are central to bringing critical production back to the United States.”
The administration is weighing an executive order on robotics for 2026, sources say, while the Department of Transportation plans to form a dedicated working group, potentially by year’s end, to examine applications in infrastructure and logistics.
The effort gained traction after a Republican amendment for a national robotics commission was proposed for the National Defense Authorization Act but dropped from the final version.
Separate bills are progressing on Capitol Hill, reflecting bipartisan concern over China’s dominance: The country deployed 1.8 million industrial robots in factories by 2023—four times the U.S. total, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Beijing, along with Japan, Germany, and Singapore, already has formal national strategies.
Robotics firms are pressing for federal incentives, including tax breaks, funding for automation integration, and trade measures against Chinese subsidies and intellectual property issues.
Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Austin-based Apptronik—valued at $5 billion and maker of the Apollo humanoid robot now testing in auto plants—urged action: “We must lean in, think about a national robotics strategy and support this burgeoning industry in the U.S. so that we can remain competitive.”
Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy at Boston Dynamics, added: “There is now recognition that advanced robotics is crucial to the U.S. in terms of manufacturing, technology, national security, defense applications, public safety.”
Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, noted economic benefits: “When companies are investing in robotics they’re also investing in more people because their company is doing better.”
Cardenas emphasized augmentation over replacement: “It’s not man versus machine, but it’s man and machine that will take us into the future… robots that augment human capability and human capacity, versus robots that replace us.”
Global funding for robotics is projected to hit $2.3 billion this year, double last year’s total, with the humanoid market potentially reaching $38 billion by 2035, per Goldman Sachs and CB Insights.
The focus raises tensions with Trump’s manufacturing revival promises. A National Bureau of Economic Research study links automation to job and wage losses in routine tasks, potentially automating factories faster than creating new roles.
Advocates argue robots could enable reshoring by cutting labor costs, generating demand for design, maintenance, and oversight positions.
This robotics agenda extends the administration’s July AI blueprint, which eased data center and chip barriers. With AI powering more dexterous machines for assembly, defense, and emergency response, a unified plan could enhance U.S. capabilities—but addressing workforce shifts will be key to avoiding internal conflicts.
