Congressman Taylor Introduces Bill Pushing American-Made Weapons for U.S. Military

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Dave Taylor (OH-02) today introduced the Make American Guns Again (MAGA) Act, which would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to submit a report on the prevalence of small arms, light weapons, and their components that the United States military procures that are made outside the U.S. or manufactured in America by a foreign-owned subsidiary. The bill would also require the DoD to provide recommendations on how the U.S. can achieve wholly American-made small arms, light weapons, and parts for military use. Representatives Pat Harrigan (NC-10), Tony Wied (WI-08), Randy Fine (FL-06), Tom Barrett (MI-07), Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08), Mary Miller (IL-15), and Lauren Boebert (CO-04) joined Congressman Taylor in the introduction of this bill.

While the DoD is required to prioritize American-made products when procuring military weapons, it still currently contracts with several U.S. subsidiaries of foreign-owned manufacturers. This supply chain structure means many companies the U.S. military depends on are ultimately owned and controlled by foreign manufacturers or foreign holding companies, posing a potential and unnecessary national security risk to the United States.

“It’s Ohio common sense – foreign entities should not control our military’s ability to defend our liberties,” said Congressman Taylor. “If our weapons supply chain is not secure, then neither is our Nation’s future. Buying American-made guns from American-owned and American-controlled companies is necessary not only to ensure our national security but also to support domestic manufacturing and create well-paying jobs. This bill is pro-America, pro-worker, and pro-American manufacturing, and I’m proud to introduce it today.”

“America’s national defense should never be outsourced. This bill is about putting American security, American jobs, and the American economy first. If there’s one industry that should be free from foreign influence, it’s the one that arms our troops. I fully support this effort to ensure our military is equipped with weapons made by American hands for American heroes. I appreciate Congressman Taylor’s initiative on this important legislation and am proud to join him,” said Congressman Fine.

"Foreign-owned companies have no business supplying weapons to the United States military. It weakens our defense posture and opens the door to unacceptable risk. By cosponsoring the Make American Guns Again Act, I’m supporting a clear step toward securing our supply chain, strengthening American manufacturing, and making sure our troops are armed with weapons made by Americans, for Americans, on American soil. We need to take back control of our defense industrial base, and this bill helps us do it,” said Congressman Harrigan.

“American soldiers should be using weapons made by 100% American-owned and operated companies. Period,” said Congressman Wied. “The Make American Guns Again Act would ensure that we move our Department of Defense towards sourcing entirely American-made small arms and light weapons. This not only reduces our military's dependence on foreign countries and companies, but it will also strengthen our own great gun manufacturers who make some of the best products in the world.”

"Our troops should never be armed with weapons made by companies controlled by foreign governments. I’m proud to co-sponsor Rep. Taylor’s MAGA Act, which puts America First and aims to restore a 100% American-made defense supply chain," said Congresswoman Miller.

"When it comes to supporting our military servicemembers and protecting Americans, we should be prioritizing the use of American-made weapons and working with American-owned manufacturers. If we are truly going to be America First in our military and beyond, that must apply to who we purchase our products from. The Make American Guns Again Act is the right solution for executing President Trump's America First agenda," said Congresswoman Boebert.

Within 180 days of its enactment, this bill would require the DoD to:

• Issue a report outlining the number of small arms, light weapons, and associated parts that are:
  • Manufactured outside the United States or made in America by a subsidiary of a foreign-owned entity
• Issue recommendations for procuring more small arms and light weapons from companies that are American-owned, American-controlled, and made in the U.S.

The full bill text is available here.