War On You: Breaking Alternative News

US lawmakers push tough new ‘Buy American’ bill

US lawmakers have introduced legislation to tighten “Buy American” rules that often anger major US trading partners by requiring that public sector projects rely on domestic goods and services.

Representative Dan Lipinski and Senator Russ Feingold, both Democratic allies of US President Barack Obama, say their “Buy American Improvement Act of 2009″ will help foster US job growth amid double-digit unemployment.

“For American taxpayer dollars to needlessly wind up in the pockets of workers in China and other foreign countries is indefensible in the best of times. During the worst recession in more than a quarter-century, it’s a disgrace,” Lipinski, who hails from Illinois, said in a statement.

“By purchasing American-made goods whenever possible, our federal government will send a simple message to American workers: We support you,” said Feingold as they introduced the legislation on Wednesday.

Similar provisions in a nearly 800-billion-dollar economic stimulus package approved in February drew European and Canadian complaints of protectionism.

The legislation aims to curtail the use of waivers to skirt “Buy American” provisions found in many US spending bills, while making sure the requirements comply with US obligations under trade accords.

The bill, backed by several major US labor unions, would require federal agencies to make public all waiver requests, waiver decisions, and justifications for any waivers granted.

“This will put pressure on the agencies to ensure their decisions can hold up to scrutiny, allow taxpayers to determine for themselves if waivers are legitimate, and give American businesses a fighting chance to receive federal contracts,” said Lipinski’s office.

Products would have to be 75-percent US-made to qualify as “American,” and government agencies would be required to conduct a cost analysis, including shipping costs, before invoking a waiver.

And the Government Accountability Office — Congress’s investigative arm — would be called upon to define current waiver guidelines that allow exemptions when applying existing restrictions is “inconsistent with the public interest.”