U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) led a congressional call on Thursday for the Trump administration to pursue a “buy American first” posture when in comes to government procurement in upcoming NAFTA negotiations.
Joyce was joined by fellow members of the Buy American Caucus in a letter urging U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to emphasize strong domestic content government procurement policies, known as Buy American, in upcoming NAFTA negotiations.
“Our goal is to ensure that hard-working Americans’ tax dollars are spent on products that are made domestically and stimulate local economies,” Joyce stated on Facebook. “We believe that strong buy American laws support manufacturing jobs and decrease the trade deficit.”
Specifically, Joyce and other members of the caucus requested that Lighthizer include language that allows Buy American laws to be fully enforceable and not abrogated in any section of NAFTA on government procurement.
“As you know, the current language of NAFTA forces the federal government to consider bids from Mexico and Canada when making procurement decisions and prevents the full application of Buy American laws,” the letter states. “Specifically, chapter 10 of NAFTA currently requires all NAFTA countries to give non-discriminatory national treatment to firms in the other signatory countries. These international firms are required to be held at the same preference as domestic firms.”
As it stands, NAFTA makes full compliance with Buy American statutes that give preference to American made products impossible, the letter adds, which “prevents the federal government from bolstering domestic manufacturing.”