WASHINGTON, DC — Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced that their bipartisan BuyAmerican.gov Act was signed into law as a part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. This legislation will establish a centralized online hub to increase transparency and ensure federal agencies prioritize the purchase of American-made goods in compliance with existing law. Under current law, federal agencies may use domestic content waivers to 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, there is currently no easily accessible government-wide system tracking the use and abuse of these waivers by federal agencies.
The bipartisan legislation will direct 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 each requested waiver to Buy American laws. This website will allow manufacturers and other interested parties to identify contract opportunities and hold federal agencies accountable for abusing Buy American waivers. The measure also will give manufacturers the chance to challenge pending waivers sought by federal agencies. President Biden’s recent Buy American executive order proposes a website for the same purpose.
“We must do everything we can to protect and maximize American jobs created by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, and that starts by ensuring that our tax dollars aren’t used to create jobs overseas,” said Portman. “By improving transparency, the BuyAmerican.gov Act will encourage federal agencies to support American workers and American jobs by faithfully complying with Buy American laws. This is bipartisan legislation is needed now to help support American jobs and I’m glad that it will now be law of the land as a part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.”
“Taxpayer dollars should support American products and workers. Our bipartisan bill will help create thousands of good-paying jobs and make a big difference for Connecticut manufacturers. I’m glad to see it signed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said Murphy.
“We streamline procurement and bring transparency to the process,” said Graham. “These important changes will bring a much-needed system of checks-and-balances to the current waiver process. The pandemic has been a painful wake-up call that we are too reliant on other nations for important manufactured goods. I look forward to working with the Biden Administration and my colleagues in the Senate to make sure manufacturers in South Carolina and across the United States are prioritized when it comes to the bidding and awarding of contracts.”
“We cannot allow foreign companies to continue to undercut our domestic industries. With the reforms in this bill more Ohio and other U.S. companies will have the chance to supply federal contracts and federal infrastructure projects,” said Brown. “It’s simple: American tax dollars should go toward American-made products that support American jobs. Period.”
“American workers and manufacturers are the best in the world,” said Stabenow. “This bill will help make sure they are first in line when it comes to government contracts and spending. It’s common sense that American tax dollars should be used to create American jobs by purchasing American-made products, not products made overseas.”
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