A new report this week released by United States Debbie Stabenow outlines, how she says, “federal agencies are using loopholes in the 'Buy American' laws to issue billions of dollars in contracts to foreign companies."
Established in 1933, the Buy American Act is a federal legislation that requires the U.S. government to prefer U.S. made domestic products over foreign goods.
However, Senator Stabenow says, over the years, too many exemptions and waivers have been put in place, creating a culture of unaccountability that is costing the federal government billions of dollars.
“If you look across the federal government it adds up to 92 billion dollars,” Stabenow said.
Tuesday, Stabenow introduced the 'Make it in America Act.' The new piece of legislation she says, will close loop holes in the Buy American Act, eliminate exemptions and demand higher transparency in foreign contracting, while requiring agencies to submit an annual report to Congress on the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on foreign made goods.
Stabenow says, it’s contingent on receiving bi-partisan report.