Earlier this week, I was in Washington meeting with policymakers and closing out our “Driving America Forward” exhibit at the iconic Union Station.

Construction on Union Station began in 1903, the same year my great-grandfather founded Ford Motor Company.

As we celebrated America 250, I am glad hundreds of thousands of visitors at Union Station had a chance to learn more about Ford’s story, and how it’s inseparable from America’s.

From the Model T to the Mustang. From the $5 workday to the Great Migration. And from building Mission Control for the Apollo missions to conquering Ferrari at Le Mans.

I treasure Ford’s history. But I wake up every morning thinking about our future and how we make the next American century better for our children and grandchildren.

I was heartened in our discussions with leaders on all sides of the political spectrum to hear a renewed interest in rebuilding America’s industrial base, something I've advocated for my whole career, not always to a receptive audience.

For too long, many believed manufacturing didn’t matter, that we could outsource building things and simply become a nation of tech and services. I've never believed that. A nation that stops building things eventually stops leading.

Manufacturing has been America’s backbone for 250 years. It built the middle class, served as the Arsenal of Democracy that helped win two world wars, and remains the engine of our prosperity and the guarantor of our security.

Our most formidable economic rivals understand this. Japan, Korea, and China have spent decades methodically strengthening their industrial base. Good for them. We should do the same. The encouraging news is that the will is there.

Now, we need to assemble these good instincts into a coherent, durable strategy: smart trade policy that rewards building in America; serious investment in the critical supply chains we can’t afford to import, such as rare earths and microchips; and a stable regulatory framework that lets manufacturers plan and invest for the long term.

In short, government, business, national labs, and universities working as one to secure America’s future.

Ford will keep doing its part. Year after year, we are America’s top auto producer, top exporter, and top employer of hourly autoworkers. We’ve weathered recessions, depressions, wars, and pandemics because we never stopped betting on this country. Now, we just need America to keep betting on itself.

Our values are simple: We take care of each other, we take care of our communities, and we take care of our country. That’s what guided us for the last 123 years, and it's what will carry us into the next.

Let's keep building together.

Bill Ford is the executive chair of Ford Motor Company.