Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Congressman John Curtis (R-UT-03), both members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced the Reinforcing American-Made Products Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation that bolsters American manufacturing by establishing one federal “Made in America” label standard. Currently, individual states can enact their own label standards, forcing businesses that sell products in more than one state to address a patchwork of differing requirements.

“Consumers buy ‘Made in America’ products because they want to purchase high-quality goods from American manufacturers that employ hardworking folks right here at home. We know that the return on buying products made in the United States is exponential, but the lack of a federal label standard makes it more challenging for U.S. manufacturers to grow their businesses,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The federal standard required by this legislation will provide consumers with the information they need to purchase American-made products and incentivize American companies to keep manufacturing jobs here. The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act is good for American manufacturers, good for American workers, good for American consumers, and good for America’s economy, and I look forward to working with Congressman Curtis to get it across the finish line.”

“The ‘Made in America’ bill provides both needed regulatory clarity to America’s retail manufacturers and gives consumers more choice in how they spend their hard-earned money,” said Congressman Curtis. “This legislation is a win-win and carefully balances long-term economic growth with critical consumer protections. I am proud to work with Representative Trahan on this important issue and I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting the legislation.”

The current reality of piecemeal, state-by-state “Made in America” label standards places an undue burden on American manufacturers and companies by requiring them to comply with more than one standard, resulting in burdensome compliance costs. Small businesses, many of which rely heavily on distributors to sell their products nationally, are disproportionately impacted. The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act will relieve this burden by creating a federal standard that will level the playing field for manufacturers and small businesses across the nation.

“This legislation greatly benefits American manufacturers by establishing a single ‘Made in U.S.A.’ authority at the federal level that encourages increased domestic manufacturing, said Amy Dow, Director of Public Relations and Government Affairs at New Balance. “We applaud this important effort that supports the New Balance associates who produce our premium Made in the U.S.A. athletic footwear at our Lawrence, Massachusetts factory and our three other U.S. factories, as well as our supplier companies across the U.S.”

The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act is a companion to legislation introduced by Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), which passed in the Senate with unanimous support in September.

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