Portman introduces bipartisan bill reinforcing, monitoring Buy American laws

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) on Jan. 9 introduced bipartisan legislation that would set up an online site dedicated to making sure that the nation’s so-called Buy American laws are properly followed.

The Buy American laws include statutes, regulations, rules and executive orders relating to federal procurement or federal grants that require U.S.-made goods, products or materials — such as iron, steel and manufactured goods — be priority purchases for federal contract awards or federal grants, according to the White House.

Sen. Portman’s BuyAmerican.gov Act of 2018, S. 2284, specifically aims to ensure federal agencies do not abuse their authority to grant waivers or exemptions from such Buy American laws that permit the purchase of goods from foreign companies.

Currently, there is no government-wide system to monitor “the use and abuse of these waivers by federal agencies,” according to a statement from Portman’s office in which the senator also said that U.S. federal agencies in the last five years have purchased more than $47 billion in foreign-manufactured goods, resulting in lost contracts and jobs in the United States.

“We must do everything we can to protect and maximize American jobs, and that starts by ensuring that our tax dollars aren’t used to create jobs overseas,” Portman said.

Under S. 2284, the new BuyAmerican.gov website would be run by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and would offer businesses and other stakeholders the opportunity to see information about each requested waiver, thereby ensuring more transparency and compliance with Buy American laws, according to Portman’s office.

U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Portman in introducing the bill and spoke to the need for prioritizing the purchases of American firms’ goods and services.

“I first brought up the idea of BuyAmerican.gov to President Trump in his first week of office and I’m thrilled to see this bipartisan measure gain steam in the Senate,” said Sen. Murphy.

Sen. Graham said the bill will “streamline procurement and bring transparency to the process. These important changes will bring a much-needed system of checks-and-balances to the current waiver process.”

“Our federal agencies should lead the way in promoting U.S. jobs and products,” added Sen. Brown.
S. 2284 has been referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.