# American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act

This bill requires the federal government to buy medical supplies and protective equipment made in the United States whenever possible. Specifically, three government departments—Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs—must purchase items like masks, gowns, gloves, sanitizing wipes, bandages, and textiles from American manufacturers rather than importing them from other countries. The rule applies to any purchase over $150,000, meaning smaller purchases under that threshold don't have to follow this requirement.

The bill includes some flexibility built in. If American-made products aren't available in the right quality or quantity, or if they cost significantly more than foreign alternatives, the government agencies can get a waiver to buy from overseas instead. However, they can't just split one large purchase into multiple smaller ones to avoid this rule. The goal is to strengthen America's domestic supply chain for critical medical items, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in relying on foreign suppliers during emergencies.

The bill also changes how the government buys protective equipment by limiting the use of "reverse auctions" and "lowest price" bidding methods for PPE purchases. These methods can sometimes result in buying cheaper but lower-quality equipment that might fail when people need it most—potentially exposing healthcare workers and others to infection or illness. Instead, the government would favor "best value" contracting, which balances both price and quality to ensure equipment actually works when it matters. Additionally, the bill extends these American-sourcing requirements to military medical supplies purchased through the Defense Logistics Agency, applying the same "buy American" principle across federal agencies.

American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act

McHenry, Patrick T.

The American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act This bill requires specified federal departments to purchase certain items, including medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and clothing, from the United States, with exceptions. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase items such as specified medical supplies (including disinfecting wipes), PPE, and fabric products (including clothing, bags, and tents) from products that are 100% grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States. The bill requires regulations to (1) prohibit the use by any federal department or agency of reverse auctions or lowest price technically acceptable contracting methods for the procurement of PPE if the level of quality or failure of the item could result in infection, illness, or death; and (2) establish a preference for the use of best value contracting methods for the procurement of such equipment. The bill applies the Berry Amendment (which requires the Department of Defense to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or homegrown products) to specified supplies and equipment, such as surgical dressing materials, hospital and surgical clothing, and textile medical supplies and equipment.