WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday released a video with Jamie Gregg, CEO of Colonial Bronze Inc., that explains how the BuyAmerican.Gov Act will help Connecticut manufacturers and create new jobs. Murphy worked with Connecticut companies to pass this legislation, which is supported by AFL-CIO and was signed into law in November as a part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.

“It’s important the people across Connecticut understand how impactful Buying American is for our manufacturers and economy. The BuyAmerican.Gov Act I worked to get signed into law was a direct result of my conversations with Connecticut companies. I’m grateful to team up with Jamie to tell the important story of how this bill became law, and keep pushing forward on legislation in the Senate to strengthen opportunities that prioritize our country, our jobs, and our economy,” said Murphy.  

The BuyAmerican.Gov Act 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, previously, there was no easily accessible government-wide system tracking the use and abuse of these waivers by federal agencies. 

The bipartisan legislation 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 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.

Murphy also praised the Biden administration for its focus on strengthening opportunities to buy American, including the Executive Order announced last January. This year, Murphy reintroduced the 21st Century Buy American Act, which would eliminate loopholes in existing Buy American laws, and the American Jobs Matter Act, which he originally introduced as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and would require the Department of Defense for the first time to measure the impact of its purchasing decisions on the domestic labor force.

You can watch the full video here.

 

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