Voters Demand Fairness in ‘Buy American’ Enforcement
By Brian Burton
On the heels of a global pandemic that saw the national economy grind nearly to a halt, American businesses have been reeling as they attempt to regroup and return operations to their pre-coronavirus levels. Among a variety of policies aimed at supporting and developing a robust domestic economy, Buy American laws have been touted as being especially important for helping businesses through persistent economic slumps. Unfortunately, a number of exemptions to these laws have allowed government agencies to bypass these requirements, denying vulnerable businesses the support they need. In a June poll, Data For Progress not only found that voters want to see these loopholes closed, but that they want to see the government take further action to promote a strong economy well into the future.
First, we asked likely voters whether they thought the government was doing enough to protect their businesses. Their answer was clear: by a 34-point margin, Americans expressed that the government should be doing more to help. Furthermore, this result was consistent across party lines, with Democrats, Independents, and Republicans demanding increased support by 33, 34, and 34-point margins, respectively. American voters are acutely aware of the problems facing the economy, and they expect the government to move swiftly to rectify the situation.
More specifically, likely voters want to see the government make good on its promises to support US businesses by purchasing American products. Currently, there are a number of exemptions that government agencies have utilized to circumvent these requirements. When presented with this reality, likely voters support closing these loopholes in Buy American laws by a 54-point margin (69 percent support vs. 15 percent oppose). These results are bolstered by strong bipartisan support: 73 percent of Democrats support tightening the laws to ensure better enforcement along with 70 percent of Independents and 67 percent of Republicans. Americans can plainly see where the government’s actions aren’t matching its words, and they demand that government agencies do better.
Finally, we asked voters for their opinions on expanding the government’s budget for purchasing American goods as well as funding new research and development efforts. We found overall majority support for this proposal by a 32-point margin. This support is primarily driven by Democrats, 73 percent of whom support the proposal. However, we also observe a 23-point margin of support among Independents as well as a plurality of support from Republicans. Voters not only want to see the economy recover from this present crisis, but they also want to see the government invest in tomorrow’s economy as well. Increased funding for research and development would not only drive present job growth and recovery, but would also better position the nation to meet the challenges of the future and keep American manufacturing on the cutting edge of technology and operations.
American businesses have already shown incredible resilience throughout the pandemic. However, business owners and voters alike are ready to see the government take further proactive steps to encourage economic recovery. Among the myriad policies being pursued towards this end, keeping its promise to support domestic businesses by Buying American is an essential step to take. The federal government must be true to its word and take substantive action to support the businesses that keep the nation running.
Brian Burton (@Brian_C_Burton) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.
Methodology
From June 22 to 24, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,206 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.