Rep. Linda Sánchez Votes for “Make it in America” Strategy to Put Americans Back to Work

Bill will Boost U.S. Manufacturing Industry

Washington, DC – Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA) worked to pass two bills today as part of the "Make it in America" national manufacturing strategy to create the high-skill, high-wage jobs of the future—promoting American competitiveness, innovation, and exports.

The two bills, the Congressional Made in America Promise Act and the Berry Amendment Extension Act, will boost the American manufacturing industry and create jobs by requiring the Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to purchase products that are made in America.

"I believe we can lead the world in manufacturing if we make the choices now to rebuild our broken manufacturing industry and put people back to work making things again," said Rep. Linda Sánchez. "I have fought to close tax loopholes that actually encourage corporations to ship American jobs overseas—but partisan attacks have fought us every step of the way. America deserves better."

The Congressional Made in America Promise Act Requires Congress to buy goods and services made by American workers for the first time since "Buy American" rules were instituted for federal agencies under President Roosevelt in 1933, including tighter Buy American requirements for items with the seal of Congress, the House, or Senate.

The Berry Amendment Extension Act bars the Department of Homeland Security from buying clothing, tents, and other products that are not "grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced" in America. For the last 60 years, the Berry Amendment has served our nation well by requiring the Defense Department and the Coast Guard to buy a range of domestically produced or grown items with 100% U.S. content, and today the House voted to include the DHS.

"We will keep working to put manufacturing, middle class Americans, and small businesses first," continued Sánchez. "Congress is working to make sure we see the words Made in America more often."

The "Make It in America" strategy also includes:

• Closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to outsource U.S. jobs overseas.
• Providing hometown tax credits to help small businesses hire new employees and sell their products and innovations overseas.
• Boosting incentives to create American clean energy jobs like manufacturing state-of-the-art wind turbines and solar panels–paid for by ending corporate welfare to Big Oil.
• Strengthening rules that U.S. and its contractors buy products made in America, especially to build transportation, energy, and communications infrastructure.
• Demanding that China and other countries honor fair trade principles or lose American business.
• Giving incentives to hire and re-train America's returning veterans for new clean energy jobs.
• Strengthening partnerships with businesses to retrain America's workers for jobs of the future.

The two bills, H.R. 2039 and H.R. 3116 both passed the House and now head to the Senate for consideration.

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