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Holland Sentinel: Stabenow, Peters introduce bill to incentivize federal agencies to 'Buy American'

WASHINGTON — Legislation reintroduced in Congress would make it harder for federal agencies to receive waivers to buy non-American manufactured products.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, were among the lawmakers to introduce the Make it in America Act in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The bill would amend the 1933 Buy American Act — bumping the percentage of American-manufactured products purchased by federal agencies from 50 percent to 75 percent. It also would eliminate public interest waivers for non-American products if foreign contracts eliminate American jobs. It also would require any waivers to be published along with justifications.

According to the White House, federal contracts account for close to $600 billion in spending by the government.

In addition to Stabenow and Peters, Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin and Mike Braun, R-Indiana, co-sponsored the legislation.

“Michigan’s workers and manufacturers are the best in the world," Stabenow said in a statement. "This bill would make sure they are first in line when it comes to government contracts and spending. It’s common sense that American tax dollars should be used to create American jobs by purchasing American products, not products made overseas."

In January, President Joe Biden signed an executive order creating a section in the Office of Management and Budget dedicated to increasing the amount of federal contracts going to American manufacturers. The Make it in America Act seeks to permanently codify some of the measures in Biden's executive order.

 “Ensuring that the federal government is spending taxpayer dollars on products made by American workers will create jobs and level the playing field for our small businesses and manufacturers,” Peters said. “I’m proud to join Senator Stabenow in announcing this commonsense legislation that would strengthen Buy American rules, invest in Michigan and American workers and help rebuild a stronger economy.”