Sen. Chris Murphy visited Ansonia Wednesday to announce he will introduce a law to ensure the federal government makes a priority of buying American-made goods.
Murphy made the announcement during a visit at American Precision Manufacturing on Beaver Street.
The law, the “21st Century Buy American Act,” will “comprehensively reform the outdated Buy American Act, which were signed into law more than 80 years ago,” Murphy’s office said in a prepared statement.
“Instead of investing in our own manufacturers, the United States has shipped money and jobs overseas – a whopping $177 billion in just the last eight years alone,” Murphy said in the statement. “Enough is enough. It’s no surprise that a bill passed into law more than 80 years ago has failed to keep up with changing times, but it’s about time we do something to fix it. The 21st Century Buy American Act is a commonsense way to update the law and put American workers and businesses first.”
Murphy said the law will:
- Close loopholes that allow federal agencies to waive Buy American requirements.·
- Provide resources for U.S. manufacturers of items in short supply to help them compete against foreign manufacturers for U.S. government contracts.
- Increase the domestic content percentage requirement for companies to qualify their products as American-made.
The law was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month by U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D‑R.I.).
Click here for more from Murphy’s website.
Mayor David Cassetti was also on hand and commended American Precision Manufacturing’s owner, Leigh Dawid, “for proving yet again that manufacturing in our city is alive and well.”
Cassetti commended Murphy’s “Buy American” initiative, which he said crosses party lines.
“I am a Republican. And Senator Murphy is a Democrat,” Cassetti said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. “We disagree on a good number of things, I am sure. But we can agree on this: American tax dollars should stay right here in America. This is a bipartisan issue that has nothing to do with partisan politics.”
