Buy American Act

The Buy American Act ( BAA ) in 1933 adopted by the United States Congress and signed by President Herbert Hoover on March 3, 1933, the last full day in office. He committed the government of the United States to prefer US-made products in its purchases. Other similar federal laws extend similar obligations to third-party purchases, which are paid from federal funds, such as highway construction programs and ' transit programs '.

History

In 1929 came the Great Depression, called in the U.S. Great Depression. During this crisis, many governments resorted to protectionist measures; many people changed by itself or from a patriotic feeling out their shopping behavior and shopping preferred domestic products. The British government launched in 1931 a campaign " Buy British ". In the United States took the ' Great Depression' long; in 1932 elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt operated two New Deal programs to revive the economy.

General

In certain procurement activities of the government can be made to this rule,

• If the domestic product ( domestic product ) is a certain percentage more expensive than an identical foreign,
• If it is not available in sufficient quality and / or quantity in the domestic
• And / or if it is in the public interest to do so.

The President of the United States has the right to the Buy American Act to override within a mutual agreement ( reciprocal agreement) or in other cases, in response thereto, when U.S. manufacturers " reciprocal treatment" received.

Within the framework of four contracts, namely

• The 1979 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT ) Government Procurement Code,
• The U.S. - Israel Free Trade Agreement,
• The U.S. -Canada Free Trade Agreement and
• Which closed in 1996 World Trade Organization ( WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA ),

Grant the U.S. states access to the government procurement of certain U.S. government agencies ( agencies ) for goods of other parties who participate in these agreements.

The Buy American Act was excluded from the scope of the GPA.

The BAA is not to be confused with the Buy America Act, which entered into force in 1983. The latter is a (execution? = ) Determination of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, " Title 49 of the United States Code ," section 5323 ( j) and shall apply only to purchases relating to ' mass transit ' ( 'mass - transit -related procurements ') worth over $ 100,000, which are at least partially paid for from public funds.