Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) released the following statement on House passage of the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 6395 – Mac Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act:

“Today’s vote fulfills our responsibility to provide for a strong national defense, said Congressman McHenry. The NDAA includes resources to help the U.S. Military  combat the coronavirus pandemic, a well-deserved pay raise for our troops, and brings us another step towards closing the readiness gap that developed under the previous Administration.

“In addition to these important measures, this year’s NDAA also includes the strengthening of the Berry Amendment, an important step that will both protect American textile jobs—including many here in western North Carolina—and continue our efforts to combat the Chinese regime," McHenry continued. "In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it is clear we need to do all we can to protect our domestic supply chains and reduce our reliance on foreign nations. This provision helps accomplish that goal and I’m proud that my efforts to include it in this year’s NDAA have paid off.”

Additionally, American textile industry leaders thanked Congressman McHenry and Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) for their bipartisanship leadership on the inclusion of a strengthened Berry Amendment in this year’s NDAA:

“On behalf of the entire U.S. textile industry, I would like to express the industry’s sincere appreciation to Congressman McHenry and Congressman Pascrell for their leadership on the inclusion of a critical provision that strengthens the Berry Amendment in the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2021,” said National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas. “This is a big victory for the textile industry, which benefits greatly from the Berry Amendment-- an essential tool of national security policy that ensures American warfighters and military personnel are wearing 100% American-made textile and apparel products, including mission critical personal protective gear. We thank the congressmen for their efforts to help sustain a warm industrial base and safeguard our national security from unreliable foreign supply chains in China and other countries for essential military materials.”

“Thanks to Rep. McHenry’s leadership and advocacy, the NDAA strengthens the Berry Amendment by closing a loophole that enabled large contracts to be subdivided and then sourced offshore,” stated Steve Lamar, President and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “This provision will save U.S. manufacturing jobs in the domestic textile, apparel, and footwear industry at a time when such efforts are needed most.”

Background:The Berry Amendment requires that the Department of Defense (DoD) purchase certain articles from domestic sources, including textiles, tents, and food. There are, however, a number of exceptions. Notably, the Berry Amendment does not apply if the contract is below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), which was previously set at $150,000. When Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA, it raised the SAT to $250,000, which heightened the risks of outsourcing manufacturing contracts to adversaries like China. Section 817 returns the threshold for Berry-compliant purchases to $150,000, ensuring that the DoD procures textiles and other items covered under the Berry Amendment from American manufacturers and workers.