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"Buy America" Under Attack From Corporate Offshorers

Big corporate America is attacking "Buy America" proposals in the economic stimulus bill that direct some of the over $800 billion in funds towards purchasing U.S.-made products for highway and other transit projects. These multinational corporations – among the nation's worst chronic offshorers – have launched a misleading scare campaign, claiming that Congress' decision to invest our tax dollars in our country violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Nations – not just the United States, but all nations – should have a right to invest in themselves, spend their tax dollars according to the priorities set by their democratically elected officials, and pursue other public-interest policies.

For more, check out the following:

• Memo: Obama on Buy America policies (PDF)
• February 5 memo: Buy America Brouhaha: What Are the EU and Canada Hollering About? Their WTO Procurement Exceptions Are (Wisely) Much Broader Than U.S. Stimulus Proposal (PDF)
• February 2 Huffington Post blog post: Roquefort Trade War, Stimulus Buy America Brouhaha Shows WTO Model Broken
• January 29 backgrounder: Companies that Offshored Jobs Attacking "Buy America"/Stimulus on False Grounds
• Public Citizen fact sheet on "Buy America," procurement and trade policy
• TV spot: GTW Director Lori Wallach on CNN
• More coverage at Eyes On Trade

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