EXCLUSIVE: White House touts Eli Lilly's "new multi-billion dollar drug manufacturing plant" in Virginia
Eli Lilly's announcement is a huge win for both President Donald Trump and for Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
President Donald Trump’s domestic policy agenda saw a multi-billion dollar vote of confidence from one of America’s biggest companies.
Eli Lilly announced plans to build a $5 billion manufacturing facility just outside of Richmond — and the Trump administration immediately celebrated the announcement, with a spokeswoman tying the move to the “pro-growth policies” of Trump and congressional Republicans.
“There has never been a better environment for domestic manufacturing investment thanks to the pro-growth policies of President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut,” White House spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita told the Washington Reporter. “Virginia’s new multi-billion dollar drug manufacturing plant is the latest in a long line of investments spurred by President Trump’s agenda. Virginians’ wages will increase by $8,000, see taxes cut by $3,554 in 2026, and benefit from thousands of new jobs because of this historic legislation.”
Lilly’s new site, which will be in Goochland County, Virginia, will “be the company's first dedicated, fully integrated active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and drug product facility for Lilly's emerging bioconjugate platform and monoclonal antibody portfolio,” the company announced. The facility will “develop [API] in the U.S. for cancer, autoimmune and other advanced therapies.”
The massive announcement builds on momentum from Lilly earlier this year, which announced plans to invest $50 billion in America; that announcement was first covered by the Reporter.
Following the investment, Lilly CEO David A. Ricks spoke with the Reporter about how his company is approaching America’s new “Golden Age.”
“Going back to just the first term, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed, and we hadn't built a new facility in the U.S. in 40 years,” Ricks said in an interview. “And the equation changed completely there to get the corporate rate down to 21 percent, maybe even going lower now. It really incentivizes domestic investment and production.”
“Based on the success of Mounjaro and Zepbound, along with other pipeline products, we started construction on a new site just at the end of the first Trump presidency,” he said. “We're now into our fifth one…This is the largest rollout of a production plan for our industry in history. This is the largest single company action ever taken, and will, in total, be $50 billion in nine new factories.”
Following Lilly’s latest announcement, Ricks said that “our investment in Virginia underscores our commitment to U.S. innovation and manufacturing — creating high-quality jobs, strengthening communities and advancing the health and well-being of Americans nationwide.”
Lilly’s investment was also a major win for Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R., Va.), who has prioritized revitalizing Virginia’s economy since the day he took office. Youngkin joined Ricks for an interview with Maria Bartiromo.
“Virginia is winning in the sectors that drive our future,” Youngkin said. “Since 2022, we’ve added 267,000 jobs and attracted $140 billion in new investment. From Eli Lilly and ABB to LEGO and our military suppliers, our focus from day one has been to grow investment, grow jobs, and grow opportunity.”
Youngkin also noted that “Lilly is one of the world's great innovators, and I want to thank them for this significant commitment to Virginia.”
“This new facility in Goochland County will create 650 great jobs, along with 1,800 construction jobs, and deliver some of the most advanced medicines in Lilly's portfolio, powered by the unmatched talent of our Virginia workforce,” he added. “By expanding manufacturing capacity here in the United States, we are strengthening our economy, securing America's critical pharmaceutical supply chain, and positioning Virginia to lead in the industries that will drive innovation for generations to come.”