Posted April 20, 2017

 

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) applauded President Trump’s April 18 Executive Order directing the federal government to maximize buy American opportunities and to review compliance with existing Buy American laws and regulations.

 

“Thank you to President Trump for making buy American a priority,” said NCTO President & CEO Auggie Tantillo on behalf of the U.S. textile industry. “Buying American is good for the country, good for American jobs and good for the U.S. textile industry. NCTO has had a longstanding policy of supporting buy American laws. We intend to work with the Trump administration to help it improve implementation and enforcement of these job creating statutes and regulations.

 

“Since 1941, a buy American law applying to the Department of Defense (DOD) known as the Berry Amendment has supported American troops, strengthened national security and incentivized U.S. textile industry investment and innovation,” Tantillo continued. “This is a concrete example of how buy American laws benefit the U.S. economy and its workers.”

 

Tantillo noted that DOD sourced roughly $1.5 billion in textiles and clothing last year under the Berry Amendment.

 

The Berry Amendment, 10 U.S.C. 2533a, requires the Department of Defense to buy textiles and clothing made with 100 percent U.S. content and labor.

 

Another buy American law, the Kissell Amendment, 6 USC 453b, requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to buy U.S. made textiles and clothing, but currently is only applied within DHS to the U.S. Coast Guard and, with some exceptions, the Transportation Security Administration.

 

Source: NCTO