[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27635]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICAN-MADE UNIFORMS NEEDED

  (Mr. DUNCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, last week The Washington Post reported that 
our U.S. Border Patrol agents are wearing uniforms manufactured in 
Mexico. One agent said, ``It is embarrassing to be protecting the U.S.-
Mexico border and be wearing a uniform made in Mexico.''
  There are plenty of companies all over this country that could make 
these uniforms, yet some brilliant bureaucrat has decided to give jobs 
to Mexicans rather than to Americans. I have nothing whatsoever against 
Mexico, but the first obligation of the U.S. Congress should be to our 
own people.
  Not only is this a jobs issue, but there are security implications as 
well. Having these uniforms made in another country makes it more 
likely that these uniforms could end up on a black market and be sold 
to drug traffickers, illegals wanting to cross the border, or even 
worse, terrorists trying to come here.
  I hope all Federal officials will start trying to give as much 
business as possible to American companies and workers instead of 
giving even more jobs to those in other countries.

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