U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Fighting to Pass Buy America NDAA Amendment to Support Defense Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is fighting to pass her Buy America amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Baldwin’s Supporting America’s Defense Workers Act would prevent the elimination of critical Buy America standards in the NDAA.

“My amendment is a commonsense Buy America policy that supports our manufacturers and our workers, as well as our national and economic security,” said Senator Baldwin. “I have bipartisan support, including President Trump, for my Buy America amendment and I look forward to a vote that respects and rewards the hard work of America’s workers and our military.”

Senator Baldwin’s amendment would reverse Section 863, which is currently in the NDAA. President Trump shares the goal of striking that section, stating in the White House’s Statement of Administration Policy,“The Administration strongly objects to section 863… The existing procurement requirements act as a key guarantor of strategic supply chain security. They protect DOD’s ability to reliably source goods such as chemical weapons antidotes and components for naval vessels, among others.”

Current law requires that certain critical components—like valves, machine tools, anchor chain, propellers and chemical weapons antidotes—be supplied by companies qualified under the National Technology and Industrial Base (NTIB). Section 863 would enact a harmful sunset provision on these current requirements, eliminating them at the end of Fiscal Year 2018 and consequently opening taxpayer-funded defense contracts to unfairly-subsidized foreign competition, placing American jobs at risk.

Senator Baldwin has been a champion of Buy America reforms. Senator Baldwin’s Made in America Water Infrastructure Act, her Buy America legislation to require American-made iron and steel is used in water infrastructure projects, also received support from President Trump.

A copy of Senator Baldwin’s amendment is available here.

An online version of this release is available here.