Buy American Laws



Manufacturing has made the American economy the most vibrant and successful in the world.  American manufacturers are known throughout the world to have highest quality goods, made by the best workers.  These manufacturing jobs are the back bone of the American middle class, and have provided an economic ladder to millions of American families here in Connecticut.

Since World War II, manufacturing jobs have declined from 40% of domestic employment, to just 11% today.  One of the reasons for this decline is the continued reliance on foreign firms, who exploit their workers and destroy the environment in the name of cost-savings.  We can not allow the American worker to be caught in a "race-to-the-bottom" where we sacrifice our values and way of life. 

The Federal Government is one of the largest purchasers of manufactured goods in the entire world.  When the Federal Government buys products from foreign entities, it hurts companies in Connecticut like like Ansonia Copper & Brass in Waterbury, which is the last remaining U.S. manufacturer of a specific type of tubing used by the U.S. Navy.   Should Ansonia Copper & Brass cease to be a viable manufacturer, the U.S. Navy will have to rely on a foreign firm to meet our national security needs.  This is simply an unacceptable consequence of an increasingly globalized economy.

I recognize the need for interdependent global economies.  Trade with countries around the world have been beneficial to both the United States and our trading partners.  However, in the midst of economic recovery, we must seek to bolster U.S. manufacturing if we are going to continue to be successful in the future.  The next wave of manufacturing will be in things like renewable energy infrastructure and advanced defense and aerospace material.  If we do nothing, countries like China will surpass us in these sectors.

I have introduced legislation that will begin to re-orient our government's purchasing to more domestic firms so that we can build our capacity to be successful in the 21st century.  My two bills would help companies like Ansonia Copper & Brass by closing loopholes in federal Buy American laws, providing assistance to companies which are the last domestic supplier of critical goods, and ensuring that the impact on American jobs could be considered before a federal agency awards a contract.

One bill, The 21st Century Buy American Act, would require federal agencies, for the first time, to consider the long and short-term impact of granting a waiver allowing a foreign contract on domestic employment.  This is one step in eliminating the “race to the bottom” culture in our federal procurement policy that has cost American jobs.  It would increase the threshold for a product to be considered “American Made” from 50% domestic content to 60%.  It would also mandate agencies report their waivers of domestic sourcing laws in a public database to ensure that American manufacturers have a full accounting of goods that the government is buying from foreign companies, and have the ability to compete for those contracts.

My second bill, The American Jobs Matter Act, would allow small and medium-sized manufacturers to highlight the fact that they are job-creators, and give them a leg-up on contracts that will bolster their businesses and communities.  This will address a piece of our flawed procurement policy, which currently has no mechanism to assess the impact of government purchasing on American jobs.

To promote my Buy American initiative, I’ve teamed up with Republican Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina to form the Buy American Caucus in the House of Representatives.  The caucus focuses on promoting American jobs and reaching bipartisan consensus on how to reinvigorate manufacturing.  This is not a partisan issue.  If we continue down our current path, where America's national security is for sale to the lowest bidder, we will surely lose our edge as the world's largest and most vibrant economy.  We have the best and smartest workers in the world, and their government owes them the common-sense solutions that help them prosper in the 21st century.