In a bold move to boost domestic manufacturing, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the largest aerospace and defense union in the United States, has once again called for an increase in homegrown production of significant defense programs.
The ongoing consideration of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has seen IAM International President, Robert Martinez Jr., urging senators to endorse a bipartisan amendment. This amendment seeks a progressive increase in the Buy American requirements on primary defense programs, raising the current limit from 55% to 75% by the end of 2029.
The longstanding implications of defense procurement policy on America’s domestic industrial base have been overlooked, says Martinez. In a letter addressed to U.S. Senators, he penned, “For far too long we have neglected to properly consider the impact of defense procurement policy on our domestic industrial base and, consequently, on the U.S. economy.”
According to Martinez, the backbone of the country’s industrial base hinges on the capabilities of its workforce. “We must understand that the foundation of our industrial base lies with the skills and abilities of the American worker,” he added.
Earlier this year, the call for increasing Buy American requirements was met with approval in the House’s fiscal 2024 NDAA. The motion was put forth and championed by U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, a Democrat from New Jersey. It is now the turn of U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, to lead the bipartisan amendment’s passage in the Senate.
Martinez believes the language revision in the Buy American clause is not only necessary but could also prove beneficial on multiple fronts. He wrote, “This sorely needed language would help create countless high-quality defense manufacturing jobs across the United States, dramatically strengthen our domestic industrial base, and ensure that our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to effectively complete their mission.”
