Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10), joined Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) to introduce H.R. 1466, the American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act. This bipartisan legislation will help end the United States' reliance on Chinese-made personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure that hospitals and frontline healthcare workers have access to a plentiful supply of high-quality American made PPE.

"From the beginning of the pandemic, our hospitals and frontline healthcare workers have worked tirelessly to save lives and keep Americans healthy," said Congressman McHenry. "Their continued battle against the coronavirus is why we must return production of PPE to the United States and end our over-reliance on Chinese-made PPE. This legislation will address the failures of the current crisis while incentivizing future investments in high quality PPE made by American companies. I am proud to introduce a bipartisan bill that helps to ensure the long-term protection of our hospitals and frontline healthcare workers.”

“The pandemic has fully exposed America’s over-reliance on personal protective equipment made in other countries. We are especially dependent on medical supplies made in China, where COVID-19 originated and whose totalitarian secrecy deepened the world crisis,” said Congressman Pascrell. “Our reliance on non-American-made PPE crippled our response to COVID from the start. We must use this painful lesson to change our behavior now. Our bipartisan American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act will ensure we are investing in the best tools at our disposal by making our own PPE right here in America. Encouraging production of medical supplies within our borders will help our economy, create jobs, guarantee higher-grade equipment, and save American lives. We cannot wait until the next pandemic to act.”

Background: The American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act implements the Berry Amendment standard of “100 percent of a product that is grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States” for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.