House Appropriations Committee Advances Congressman Ryan's Legislation to Require Defense Department to Purchase American LED Light Bulbs

Press Release

Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13), the Vice Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, passed out of the Appropriations committee an amendment to the Defense spending bill that would require the Defense Department to buy light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs that are made or assembled in the United States. This year, GE-Savant in Bucyrus, Ohio ended its production of A19-model of LED lightbulbs due to competition from overseas and lack of U.S. customers.

"Our federal government has the strength to change entire industries when its purchasing power is leveraged to support American businesses -- and we can start with the Department of Defense," said Congressman Ryan. "Too many American workers have been put out of jobs that have been shipped abroad. We can start here and now to bring those jobs home by using the might of the government to buy American. I'm proud to have my amendment included in this bill -- and look forward to its passage in the House of Representatives. The next big step we must take on behalf of workers in Ohio and across the country is passing Senator Sherrod Brown's and my Build America, Buy America legislation to rebuild American infrastructure with American-made materials."

"We are grateful to have Congressman Ryan fighting with us to save these jobs in Bucyrus, Ohio," said Will Evans, GE Lighting worker and President of IUE-CWA Local 84704. "We need legislation like this to keep lightbulb production in our factory. We are asking for bipartisan support of this initiative in order to protect and promote U.S. jobs right here in Ohio."

According to the Department of Energy, LED light bulbs are a highly energy-efficient lighting technology with the potential to fundamentally change the future of the country. The transformative potential of this technology is especially true for the Department of Defense, which is the nation's largest consumer of energy.

The Defense spending bill now moves to the full House for consideration before advancing to the Senate.

Click here for additional detail about the full Defense Appropriations funding bill.

Source