Niki Tsongas: “This amendment would undermine a provision included in both the House- and Senate-passed NDAAs that is aimed at ensuring…”

“This amendment would undermine a provision included in both the House- and Senate-passed NDAAs that is aimed at ensuring that the Department of Defense adheres to the law, a law that DOD indicated that it would follow once a 100 percent American-made shoe was available that met its cost and durability standards. Well, today the domestic shoe industry has rebounded--employing thousands of workers throughout the country--and several versions of a completely American-made shoe are now available to the Defense Department, but they have yet to provide those shoes to new recruits. After testing and approving two 100 percent American-made athletic shoes last year, Defense Department officials underscored their quality, writing that one of those shoes ``scored higher overall than any other neutral/cushioned running shoe we have tested thus far.'' This is quite an endorsement, since the Defense Department has been testing sneakers for more than 20 years. Even so, should recruits require something more specific, they can receive a waiver. And Stars and Stripes reported last week that, when the Navy switched to Made in America shoes in 2004, ``stress fractures had been reduced by 69.7 percent.'' We should ensure that all recruits have the best quality shoes to choose from always--and the best is American made.…”