WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Rob Portman (R-OH), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) applauded the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for passing their bipartisan BuyAmerican.gov Act, legislation that 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.
“We need better transparency to make sure foreign companies do not undercut our domestic industries. With the reforms in this bill, we’ll be able to verify that Ohio and other U.S. companies are given preference in federal contracts and federal infrastructure projects as intended under current law,” said Brown. “It’s simple: American tax dollars should go toward American-made products that support American jobs. Period.”
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. The legislation now awaits action before the full Senate.
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