Maine reps push for U.S.-made athletic shoes
U.S. troops buying athletic footwear might get a taste of home under bills by Maine's congressional delegation aimed at requiring the military to buy U.S.-made athletic shoes.
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King introduced the Senate bill on Friday, and Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree put forth a companion bill in the House on Thursday, according to the Bangor Daily News, which noted the legislation might help shoe makers such as New Balance, which has three factories in Maine.
The bills target a loophole in the U.S. military's acquisition process that lets it buy foreign-made athletic footwear. The bills address the Berry amendment, which requires American soldiers to wear U.S.-made uniforms and equipment.
Michaud introduced a similar bill in 2011, and Sens. Collins and Olympia Snowe had sought to address the issue through amendments in past defense bills, according to the newspaper.
The BDN quoted Matthew LeBretton, spokesman for Boston-based New Balance, as saying that the Army, Navy and Air Force give new recruits cash allowances to buy athletic shoes, thus skirting the domestic requirement. He added that the Marines require recruits to buy their own sneakers, but don't give them cash.
New Balance makes 25% of its athletic shoes at five facilities in the United States, and claims it is the only major athletic shoe maker in the country, the BDN said. The company employs 900 Mainers in Norway, Norridgewock and Skowhegan, and runs two factories in Massachusetts.
The new bills would require any athletic shoes purchased for new soldiers directly or by a cash allowance to fall under domestic sourcing requirements, according to the newspaper. The Berry amendment passed in 1941.
Based on Defense Department numbers, BDN said LeBretton estimated the U.S. military would need a quarter of a million athletic shoes a year for new recruits, and a contract for that footwear would translate into some 200 new jobs at New Balance and through its supply chain.
BDN said a request for comment from the Department of Defense was not returned Tuesday.
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