The Department of the Interior announced on Mar. 16 that it will prioritize sourcing uniforms and other textiles made in the United States, as part of President Donald J. Trump's Buy American agenda.
This move is intended to use federal purchasing power to support American workers and manufacturing. The Department said it spends about $11 million annually on uniforms for agencies such as the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, and will now focus those expenditures on products made domestically.
"President Trump has made clear that American taxpayer dollars should support American workers and American manufacturing," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "By adopting this Buy American policy, the Department of the Interior is putting that commitment into action. The men and women who serve on our public lands should wear uniforms made by American hands."
Michael Stumo, Associate Director at the Made in America Office, said, "The American textile industry was abandoned by politicians who chose cheap foreign imports over American workers and American towns. Mills that had operated for generations shut their doors. President Trump is changing that, and today's announcement is proof that the era of Washington turning its back on American manufacturing is over." Tyler Kellogg, advisor to the Secretary, added, "When a family pulls up to the gates of Yellowstone or stands at the rim of the Grand Canyon, they are experiencing something uniquely and purely American, protected by rangers who have stood watch over this land for generations. The uniform they wear should be every bit as American as the mission it represents." Joanna Wischer, Deputy Director at the Made in America Office, said, "The Biden Administration took every opportunity to crush the textile industry leading to historic job losses and factory closures. Donald J. Trump is the Buy American, Hire American, President, and he is using the federal government, as the largest customer in the world, to revamp our domestic textile industry and ensure federal workers wear uniforms made by Americans—not cheap foreign labor."
To further engage with businesses interested in supplying U.S.-made textiles for federal contracts, an industry day will be held at the Department of the Interior on March 27. Additional information for interested businesses can be found at SAM.gov.
