Legislation Protects American Innovation, Workers, and Domestic PPE Manufacturing

The American Medical Manufacturing Association (AMMA) proudly supports two key bipartisan bills to enhance our nation’s economic security, protect American manufacturers, and strengthen domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies.

As the global landscape becomes increasingly competitive and vulnerable to bad actors who exploit loopholes in trade regulations, the need to safeguard American innovation and industry is more pressing than ever. We must act swiftly to ensure our economic and national security.

The first piece of legislation, the “Protecting American Innovation Act,” introduced by Representatives John Moolenaar (R-MI), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and their colleagues, exemplifies the power of bipartisan cooperation. This bill’s authors aim to enhance the U.S.’s capabilities for detecting, investigating, and prosecuting trade fraud, duty evasion, transshipment, and other trade-related crimes.

This legislation is particularly crucial for the medical manufacturing sector, which includes the production of PPE and essential medical supplies. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in relying on foreign supply chains, leading to critical shortages. This bipartisan effort is vital in ensuring the U.S. continues to lead in medical technology and maintains a reliable supply of life-saving equipment for frontline workers.

AMMA also strongly supports a companion bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that targets international trade violations harming American workers. This legislation also enforces stricter penalties on foreign companies engaging in unfair practices like illegal subsidies. These practices have severely affected American jobs and industries, mainly medical manufacturing.

For the production of PPE and medical supplies, unfair trade practices by foreign competitors have threatened not just jobs but also the security and reliability of our domestic supply chains. By addressing these issues, this legislation will help protect American workers’ livelihoods and ensure that the U.S. is never again at the mercy of foreign suppliers for essential medical equipment.

The American Medical Manufacturing Association is committed to promoting and protecting the interests of American medical manufacturers. These bipartisan bills are essential for safeguarding our industry’s future, ensuring that American companies can innovate, create jobs, and contribute to global health. Strengthening domestic manufacturing, particularly in PPE and medical supplies, is crucial for national security and public health. By returning PPE production to the U.S., we can better prepare for future health emergencies and ensure that healthcare workers have reliable access to the necessary equipment.

AMMA will continue advocating for policies that support our industry, protect American jobs, and foster a fair, competitive global marketplace. Through bipartisan collaboration, we can pave the way for a brighter, more prosperous future for American manufacturing, innovation, and domestic PPE production.

In addition, AMMA has issued the following statement in support of the bills.

America’s manufacturers of medical supplies and personal protective equipment face unfair competition from foreign companies and hostile nations, especially in their creative ways of using tariff evasion to artificially keep costs low and defraud the US government.  

Bad actors blatantly violate trade laws, systematically evade tariffs and duties, and deliver inferior products that the government has flagged. This actively endangers unsuspecting American consumers in healthcare, public safety, and other vital industries. 

Egregious actions like these from abroad severely harm American workers and manufacturers while posing significant national security and public health risks. AMMA emphatically supports this legislation and is firm in its commitment to ensuring accountability, rigorous tracking, and stringent enforcement of all violations.