# What the Made-in-America Defense Act Actually Does

This bill asks the State Department and Defense Department to review which military equipment and services the U.S. currently sells to foreign countries only through a government-controlled program, and figure out which ones could instead be sold directly by private American defense companies. Right now, certain sensitive military items can only be sold through what's called the Foreign Military Sales program, which involves government oversight and takes longer to process. The bill wants officials to identify which of these restricted items could be moved to a faster, more direct commercial sales process instead.

The practical effect is about speed and efficiency in defense exports. When a foreign country wants to buy American military equipment today, some items must go through the government's Foreign Military Sales program, which involves more paperwork, more government review, and takes longer—sometimes months or years. Other items can be sold directly by private companies with less red tape. This bill asks the government to study which items on the restricted list could safely move to the faster commercial route without compromising national security. The review would look at how much time each process takes, how much work it creates for government agencies, and whether allowing direct sales would help American defense companies compete better internationally and strengthen national security.

Every year going forward, the State and Defense Departments would report back to Congress about what they found. The bill affects defense contractors and foreign military buyers most directly—streamlining sales could mean faster deals and less bureaucratic delay. For average Americans, the impact is indirect: it could mean more international sales for American defense companies and potentially more jobs in that sector, though it also depends on whether Congress actually acts on these recommendations to change the rules.

Made-in-America Defense Act

Biggs, Sheri

FMS-Only List Review ActThis bill requires the Department of State to conduct an annual review to identify defense articles and services eligible to be sold only through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) (i.e., U.S. government to foreign government sales) that should also be eligible to be sold through Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) (i.e., U.S. company to foreign government sales).For each article or service identified, the review must address (1) the length of time to complete a transfer of the article or service through the FMS program as compared to the DCS process; (2) the impact of a transfer of the article or service through the DCS process on the workload of the State Department and the Department of Defense; and (3) the benefits of the transfer of the article or service through the DCS process to U.S. national security and competitiveness. &nbsp;Within 30 days of the completion of each annual review, the State Department must report to Congress on the results of the review.