Congresswoman Matsui Supports Legislation to Create More American Jobs and Increase American Manufacturing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163
Helps Prevent Jobs from being Shipped Overseas by Supporting Two Make it in America Bills
Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) supported two bills to increase American manufacturing and create new jobs. With Congresswoman Matsui's support, the House of Representatives passed the Congressional Made in America Promise Act (H.R. 2039) and the Berry Amendment Extension Act (H.R. 3116), which require the Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to purchase products that are made in America. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Make it in America initiative that Representative Matsui helped introduce this summer.
The Make it in America agenda is helping to strengthen our economy while increasing our national security, stated Congresswoman Matsui. The legislation passed by the House today will help put Americans back to work by spending American dollars on American-made products. It is essential that the Federal government sets an example by buying American.
H.R. 2039 requires Congress to buy goods and services made by American workers, similar to the Buy American rules instituted for Federal agencies by President Roosevelt in 1933. This legislation will apply to articles, materials, or supplies used by House and Senate offices, as well as to items with the seal of Congress, the House, or Senate.
H.R. 3116, the Berry Amendment Extension Act, expands the Berry Amendment, which requires the Defense Department and the Coast Guard to buy a range of products with 100 percent U.S. content, to cover the Department of Homeland Security as well. This legislation is critical to helping the United States textile and apparel industry, which laid off 587,000 American workers since December 2000 due to increased imports.
Passage of these bills underscore the commitment of this Congress to bolster America's manufacturing sector. In July, Congresswoman Matsui joined House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-05) and other Members of Congress committed to reviving America's manufacturing sector and creating good-paying American jobs to unveil the Make it in America Agenda. The Make it in America Agenda is a manufacturing strategy based on the idea that when more products are made in America, more people will be able to make it in America.
The Make it in America agenda includes Congresswoman Matsui's legislation, H.R. 5156, the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010, which would boost the competiveness of the U.S. clean technology industry in both domestic and international markets by promoting policies that reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment, and productivity in the clean energy technology industry here at home. The Matsui legislation was passed by the House on July 28, 2010.
I am glad that today we have passed two more pieces of the Make it in America agenda, and I will continue working hard to put Sacramento families back to work and keep jobs from being shipped overseas, added Rep. Matsui.
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