Washington DC – U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s (D-OH) bill, H.R. 2039, the Congressional Made in America Promise Act, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 371-36. The bill will extend Buy American Act requirements for federal agencies to apply to the legislative branch and aims to ensure that products purchased by the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate are American-made.

“Our nation has been losing millions and millions of good jobs to foreign outsourcing while America has become more and more dependent on imported goods,” said Rep. Kaptur. “It seems almost everything one buys has a sticker or a label designating it was made just about anywhere but in America – China, India, Malaysia -- or some other country. Outsourced production translates into lost jobs,” she continued.  

“The number of jobs lost to Americans as a result of the trade deficit is staggering. It is felt in every corner of America and certainly in my home state of Ohio. This year alone, the trade deficit has cut GDP growth by three points, to just over 1.5 percent. So, when an avalanche of imports dwarfs our exports, the bottom line is lost jobs, lost income, a diminishing middle class, and sluggish economic growth,” said Kaptur. 

“This legislation – H.R. 2039 – sets a clear standard and will bring about a change in practices. Business as usual and bad trade deals have brought this country to near economic calamity. We must restore manufacturing in America and start right here by raising the consciousness of the Legislative Branch of our federal government. Today, we send a clear message: it is time we make goods in America again and get our people back to work,” Kaptur said.  

“This nation grew its way out of the Great Depression and we can build and grow our way out of this Great Recession by buying goods made in our nation. Congress will once and for all get serious about leading America forward and use its buying power to support jobs and manufacturing in America,” Kaptur concluded.