Berry Amendment Tightened

December 30, 2005 -- The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have approved a requirement that strengthens the Berry Amendment, a law requiring that the Department of Defense (DoD) purchase only U.S.-made clothing, textile and individual equipment items. The amendment requires DoD to notify Congress within seven days if contracts are awarded to non-U.S. suppliers.

The amendment was inserted into the 2006 Defense Authorization legislation by Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC). The amendment will directly affect the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), DoD's largest clothing and textile procuring facility which purchased approximately $2.5 billion of clothing, textile and individual equipment items in fiscal year 2005. The provision also affects purchases by all other DoD activities, regardless of size.

Karl Spilhaus, president of the National Textile Association, praised the amendment saying, "This new requirement to identify non-U.S. suppliers will enable us to follow closely those contracts that have been awarded outside the strict provisions of the Berry Amendment. The Berry Amendment has been in place for over half a century and it serves our country well by ensuring that our war-fighters have the best equipment available and a strong supply chain to rely on."

Reprinted in part from the National Textile Association