JONES PUSHES U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO BUY AMERICAN, NOT CHINESE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After recent news that the uniforms of the 2012 United States Olympic Team were manufactured in China, U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) took several actions this week to push the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to ensure that uniforms are made in the USA instead.  “I was shocked and angered by the USOC’s decision to send our athletes to London wearing uniforms made in China,” said Jones.  “These athletes represent the very best our country has to offer and they should be outfitted accordingly.  It simply does not make sense to have our athletes represent our country while wearing foreign clothes that could easily be made right here at home.”

Congressman Jones joined his colleague Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL-3) in introducing H.R. 6132, a bipartisan bill to require the USOC to report to Congress every four years on where the US athletes uniforms are made.  In addition, Congressmen Jones and Lipinski joined together to introduce a sense-of-the-House resolution, H. Res. 731, urging the USOC to “strive to ensure that all of the clothing and equipment purchased for United States Olympic athletes is made in America.”

Congressman Jones also joined a bipartisan coalition of 59 members in sending a letter to the calling on the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to ensure that Team USA's uniforms are made in the United States, not in factories overseas.  

Congressman Jones is a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Buy American Caucus to reinvigorate domestic manufacturing.