The Department of Defense has spent almost $200 billion on manufactured goods made by foreign companies since 2007,  according to Senator Chris Murphy.  He has tweaked a bill he's introduced each session to encourage domestic purchasing by the largest buyer of manufactured goods in the world.  The BuyAmerican.gov Act would establish a centralized online hub to increase transparency and ensure that DoD prioritizes the purchase of American-made goods.

The thousands of waivers filed every year would be posted for every manufacturer to see.  Murphy called it an easy way for manufacturers to see when the government is looking to buy a good made domestically. 

While there are law on the books that require a certain percentage of goods made for the federal government to be bought from American manufacturers, Murphy says the exceptions and loopholes have become the rule.

Murphy has supported President Trump's recent executive orders requiring the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, and several other U.S. agencies to review and strengthen the capacity of U.S. manufacturers.  He is seeking the administration's formal support for his proposal.

Companies from Seymour, Waterbury and elsewhere participated in the roundtable discussion about the proposed bill.