MURPHY INTRODUCES MAJOR LEGISLATION TO PROTECT & GROW DEFENSE MANUFACTURING JOBS IN CT

[ctsnowman]

If we can't reduce the MIC spending we should at least keep in the USA.

The American Jobs Matter Act will require the Defense Department to consider American jobs when it awards federal contracts

Friday, June 28, 2013

HARTFORD—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) today announced major federal legislation to protect and grow defense manufacturing jobs in Connecticut. Murphy was joined by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), an original cosponsor of Murphy’s bill, workers and business owners from several Connecticut defense manufacturers to tell their own stories and discuss how the legislation will impact jobs in Connecticut. U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are also original cosponsors of this legislation.

“This is a very simple proposal: the Defense Department should give preference to American manufacturers when awarding federal defense contracts,”said Murphy. “Most people assume that the American government already considers American jobs when we hand over our defense dollars to contractors. Well, they don't, but they should. I’ve traveled the state hearing from manufacturers who keep Connecticut’s defense industry strong and the message is clear: every job that we create overseas by awarding contracts to foreign firms is one less job here in America. It’s time to change that.”

Murphy's American Jobs Matter Act (S. 1246) will require the Department of Defense, for the first time, to measure domestic employment as a factor in rewarding a contract. American manufacturing firms will be able to leverage their contribution to the U.S. economy to win federal contracts by demonstrating how many jobs they will create or retain with the award of a contract.

“American dollars should support American jobs,” said Blumenthal. “Our American defense manufacturing workers—particularly those in Connecticut—exhibit exceptional expertise in producing the highest quality equipment for our service men and women. The Department of Defense should make every effort to buy American, promoting economic growth and military security.”

In the last five years, the Department of Defense has spent over $700 billion dollars on manufactured goods. An alarming portion of that spending—over $100 billion since the Department of Defense began to comprehensively keep track—was spent on goods manufactured by foreign workers. During the same period, the United States lost 1.7 million manufacturing jobs.

“Our defense industrial base is still the best in the world, but we must protect it against the outsourcing that has steadily eroded our capabilities,”added Murphy. “We need to begin leveraging the massive amount of taxpayer dollars going to firms for manufactured goods, and this legislation will finally give the key segments of our defense industrial base a leg up to create jobs in our state and our country.”

[WinkyDink]

1. "Dept of War" was more accurate.

[ctsnowman]

2. Yup.

Didn't poll well though.

[Igel]

3. And here's your link.

http://www.murphy.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=344240

It's a press release, of course. A story would have added how long the DOD has been keeping track of domestic/overseas purchases, as well as something about the nature of the purchases. $100 billion over 1 year is a lot differerent from $100 billion over 20 years. Yes, I could look that up. Not my job. The press release authors want to convince me? Fine. Let them convince me.

If you need blankets and you're in Afghanistan or Iraq, do you insist on putting through a requisition to have them made in the US and flown in, or do you requisition your 50,000 blankets locally? Esp. if most of the blankets sold in the US probably aren't made in the US anyway?

And if you suddenly need jet fuel and you're in Iraq and a large manufacturer is 200 miles away, do you insist on hauling it in from Houston or San Pedro or Elizabeth? If you want bullets and it'll take 3 months to get them made for the ramp-up you have in mind for next month, but you can get them from Canada or Turkey, do you wait?

It's a press release. It doesn't explain what the reader wants, it explains what the senator's media staff think we need to know to vote for the senator and push for his power and prestige to increase. It doesn't satisfy the demands of critical thinking. It's not "in depth" or "investigate" reporting. And while it appeals to the rah-rah, go-team! side of me (which, to be honest, is vestigial) it doesn't convince me. But it does sound like a good first draft of the student project.

[ctsnowman]

6. Murphy

is one of the lonely liberal voices we have in the senate. He is trying to keep as much of the bloated spending in the hands of American workers as possible.

[Egalitarian Thug]

4. We'd be much better off if we just closed down the Connecticut Naval Welfare Facilities and gave

all the workers a few hundred thousand to get on with their lives. Of course, the real welfare queens would scream and cry so loud ears would bleed on 'K' Street.

[ctsnowman]

5. Murphy

is as liberal as we are allowed to have in the US. If we can't cut the budget we should at least make sure it goes to American jobs.

[Egalitarian Thug]

7. And that's a fact. n/t