The American Sheep Industry Association joined 22 other trade groups this week in a letter urging the rejection of several provisions in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. These provisions would "erode our domestic manufacturing base, weaken Buy American provisions, and threaten our national defense."
The coalition's objections were included in the Senate version of the bill (H.R. 2810), which was passed on Monday, Sept. 18. The bill now moves to conference.
"Of key concern are those provisions that would affect the Berry Amendment," read the letter to chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. "Since 1941, the Berry Amendment has ensured that the U.S. has a competitive and capable domestic industry equipped to supply a variety of goods for military use. The elimination or reduction of Berry and similar requirements will result in a less robust and capable domestic industrial base and use of American taxpayer funds to support foreign competitors and outsourcing of manufacturing jobs.
"As associations that represent U.S. manufacturers, U.S. workers and other important aspects of the domestic supply chain for American-made and sourced goods and equipment that our military and warfighters depend upon, we encourage the conference committee to recede to the House bill for each of the cited provisions that undermine existing Buy American laws and regulations."
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