The POPVOX Blog

Today, July 2, is "Made in the USA" Day. And this week, the first week in July, may be designated as "Buy American Week."

• HRes 705 Expressing support for the designation of a “Buy American Week”.

According to Representatives Brian Bilbray (R, CA-50) and Duncan Hunter [R, CA-52], who introduced the "Buy American Week" resolution, in 1960, manufacturing accounted for 28 percent of jobs in the US. (Source.) Today, manufacturing accounts for only 9 percent of jobs. The US global trade deficit in goods was $726,700,000,000 in 2011--a nearly $100,000,000,000 increase from 2010. Over half of the manufactured goods bought and sold in America are imported from foreign countries.

POPVOX is spotlighting bills related to "Buy American Week" and American jobs more generally. You can also check out the list of over 700 tariff bills. Please weigh in and share these bills with your friends and networks. From the POPVOX team, we wish you a Happy Independence Day!

Issue Spotlight: "Buy American" and American Jobs

• HR 5908 The Purchasing American Generates Employment Act requires the Federal Government to buy paper and paper products from American sources.
• HR 1239 The Congressional Made in America Promise Act clarifies the applicability of the Buy American Act to products purchased for the use of the legislative branch, to prohibit the application of any of the exceptions to the requirements of such Act to products bearing an official Congressional insignia.

Grants and Credits

• HR 1773 The Made in America Act makes the research credit permanent, increase expensing for small businesses, reduce corporate tax rates.
• S 1457 The Made In America Block Grant Program Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Made In America Block Grant Program (also HR 1912).
• HR 516 The Bring Jobs Back to America Act establishes a strategy to encourage manufacturing in the United States and for the repatriation of manufacturing jobs off-shored to other countries.
• S 1247 The America Recruits Act develops and recruits new, high-value jobs to the United States, to encourage the repatriation of jobs that have been off-shored to other countries.
• HR 1378 The Fighting for American Jobs Act prohibits business enterprises that lay off a greater percentage of their United States workers than workers in other countries from receiving any Federal assistance.

Manufacturing

• HR 1684 The Keep American Jobs from Going Down the Drain Act requires the use of American iron, steel, and manufactured goods in the construction, alteration, and repair of public water systems and treatment works.
• HR 1703 The American Steel First Act requires certain Federal agencies to use iron and steel produced in the United States in carrying out projects for the construction, alteration, or repair of a public building or public work.
• HR 2722 The Buy American Improvement Act increases the requirement for American-made content, to strengthen the waiver provisions.
• HR 3645 The American Jobs Preservation Act requires consideration of the impacts of a public interest waiver from the Buy America requirement on domestic manufacturing employment for certain transportation provisions.

Flags

• HR 1344 The All-American Flag Act requires the purchase of domestically made flags of the United States of America for use by the Federal Government (also S 1188).
• HR 474 The Genuine American Flag Act prohibits the importation for sale of foreign-made flags of the United States of America.

Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.