WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) today introduced a bill that strengthens and simplifies American manufacturing by creating one national “Made in USA” labeling standard. The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act would ensure that the federal government maintains authority over setting country-of-origin labeling standards, preventing a variety of state-by-state logos and labels that would confuse consumers.

Under current conditions, businesses that make their products in the United States face a patchwork of different state laws – making compliance costs burdensome in order to ensure products can be sold across the country with the designation. Varied state regulations also expose manufacturers to unnecessary litigation. The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act would fix that by creating one national standard.

“When a consumer sees a ‘Made in the USA’ label, they know they’re purchasing a high-quality product and supporting American jobs,” said Senator King. “The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act would ensure that a ‘Made in the USA’ label is a simple, straightforward way to help consumers make informed decisions about the products they intend to buy. Thank you to Senator Lee for working with me to support American manufacturers and streamline this process for consumers who want to support American workers.”

“Now more than ever, Americans care about the ‘Made in USA’ label; and they should because it shows consumers a product is of high quality and supports good jobs here in America,” said Senator Lee. “Unfortunately, some states have made it unnecessarily difficult  for businesses to use the ‘Made in USA’ label and empowered trial lawyers to get rich through differing labeling standards. This bill solves that problem by making one national standard for the ‘Made in USA’ label.”

“We are proud to employ more than 750 associates across our Norridgewock, Norway and Skowhegan, Maine factories who produce high-quality athletic footwear through New Balance’s long-standing commitment to domestic manufacturing,” said New Balance Athletics, Inc.’s Amy Dow. “Senator King’s legislation will ensure a federal standard for ‘Made in U.S.A.’ that would eliminate conflicting state and federal law for American manufacturers and support future domestic manufacturing growth.”

The Senators’ legislation passed the Senate unanimously in 2020 and 2021. This year, the House of Representatives has showed increased interest in the bill. The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to hold a hearing on the legislation, signaling growing bipartisan, bicameral support for a uniform ‘Made in America’ standard.

The full bill text can be found here.

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