WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the House-Senate 2016 National Defense Authorization Act conference report. Murphy’s amendment, included in the NDAA, will increase Congressional oversight of U.S. Department of Defense by requiring more transparency over the Department’s overuse of Buy American Act waivers through the “overseas use” loophole in the law. 

“I’m thrilled that the House and the Senate have supported my ‘Buy American’ provision. I’ve heard from too many Connecticut manufacturers over the years that they’re hurting because the Pentagon exploits a loophole in the law—spending American taxpayer dollars at foreign corporations that compete with local manufacturers. It’s time for that to change. By identifying the concrete effects of Buy American laws in defense purchasing, we can take additional steps to create new American jobs, bolster our country’s manufacturing sector, and protect our national security.

“I supported this bill today, but I continue to have very serious concerns about the budgetary gimmick of using the Overseas Contingency Operations account to fund Defense Department operations. We have to address sequestration, for both defense and non-defense spending, and pass a long-term budget deal that adequately supports our forces, fixes sequestration, and invests in America’s future.”

In 2014, 83% of all the money spent through Buy American Act waivers and exceptions to the Buy American Act, $5.4 billion, was spent using this “outside the United States” exception. In the last 4 years, the United States has spent $50 billion on the “use outside the country waiver”.