Reps. Delgado and Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Buy American Legislation
Press Release
U.S. Representatives Antonio Delgado (NY-19) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced the BuyAmerican.gov Act, bipartisan legislation establishing a centralized online hub to increase transparency and ensure federal agencies prioritize the purchase of American-made goods. As the U.S. prepares to make generational investments in infrastructure, this legislation will ensure that taxpayer-funded projects use American-made materials.
"Our tax dollars should be spent on American goods that create and sustain American jobs," said Rep. Delgado. "The BuyAmerican.gov Act will provide transparency and better connect U.S. manufacturers with contracting opportunities. This bipartisan legislation is essential as we work to repair and rebuild our supply chain in the wake of COVID-19 and make long-overdue investments in our nation's infrastructure."
"The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to reconstitute the supply chain for essential products back to the United States," said Rep. Fitzpatrick. "We have become far too reliant on foreign adversaries for our nation's critical goods, all at the expense of American tax dollars. Our bipartisan BuyAmerican.gov Act will protect American jobs and ensure our domestic manufacturers have every opportunity to secure crucial contracts that will provide American-made supplies to our federal agencies."
Under current law, federal agencies may use domestic content waivers included in Buy American laws to purchase goods or services from foreign companies only in certain circumstances: for example, when an American-made good is unavailable or will significantly increase the cost of a product. However, federal agencies overuse this waiver authority and there is currently no easily-accessible government-wide system tracking the use and abuse of these waivers by federal agencies. The BuyAmerican.gov Act directs the General Services Administration to establish a central, publicly-available website, at the link currently known as BuyAmerican.gov, to collect and display information about federal compliance with Buy American laws.
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