Collins, Poliquin lead efforts to outfit military with American-made athletic shoes

An initiative led by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) to outfit troops with American-made athletic shoes was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday.

The provision, championed by Collins, Poliquin and U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME), would subject athletic footwear to the Berry Amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to use American-made equipment and uniforms whenever possible.

“This is a significant victory for American jobs and respected American manufacturers like New Balance who will now be able to compete for contracts to provide domestically produced athletic footwear to military recruits,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “For far too long, the Department of Defense has failed to apply the Berry Amendment to athletic footwear, and American manufacturers have paid the price.”

The provision included in the fiscal year 2017 NDAA is based on legislation that Collins, Poliquin and King introduced earlier this year: the Buy American Act and the Stepping up for American Workers and Troops Act.

“With the successful inclusion of this provision, Congress and the Pentagon will finally prioritize and reward U.S. companies for creating and maintaining good-paying jobs here in the U.S. and will equip American troops with high-quality American-made athletic footwear,” the lawmakers said. “We will relentlessly push the Department of Defense to fully implement this already-overdue provision.”

New Balance is the only company that still makes athletic footwear in the United States.