The U.S. textile industry has welcomed the formation of the House Berry Amendment Caucus, a new bipartisan initiative in Congress designed to reinforce domestic sourcing requirements for military-related textiles, apparel, and gear. The caucus aims to raise awareness of the Berry Amendment’s role in safeguarding national security by ensuring that mission-critical materials used by the U.S. armed forces are produced within the United States.
Led by Representatives Pat Harrigan and Don Davis, the caucus seeks to strengthen the domestic defense industrial base, promote investment in U.S. manufacturing, and expand opportunities for American textile producers that supply high-performance materials to the military. Industry leaders view the initiative as a strategic move to maintain resilient supply chains, reduce reliance on foreign sources, and support innovation in advanced textile applications for defense.
The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), which represents the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber and yarn to fabrics and finished sewn products – applauded the caucus’ launch and reiterated the importance of maintaining strong domestic procurement policies.
Statement from National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas:
“On behalf of the U.S textile industry, NCTO sincerely thanks Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) and Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) for their leadership in co-chairing the new bipartisan House Berry Amendment Caucus, aimed at strengthening national security and the U.S. defense industrial supply chain through the federal procurement of American-made mission critical clothing, textiles and gear.”
“NCTO strongly supports this new caucus to promote and expand the Berry Amendment, a law requiring the Department of War (DOW) to buy textile and clothing products made with virtually 100% U.S. content and labor to support our U.S. war industrial base.”
“The U.S. textile industry provides $1.8 billion of high-tech and functional components for vital uniforms and equipment for our armed forces each year. The Department of War estimates that over 8,000 different textile items are purchased for use by the U.S. military and over 30,000 line items when individual sizes are considered.”
“It is vital to America’s national security that the U.S. military maintain the ability to source high-quality, innovative textile materials, apparel, and personal equipment from a vibrant U.S. textile industrial base and key to this goal is defending and strengthening the Berry Amendment.”
“We look forward to working with the new caucus’ leadership and our industry partners to focus congressional efforts on preserving the Berry Amendment and expanding opportunities for U.S. textile manufacturers, safeguarding domestic supply chains, and ensuring our troops continue to receive innovative, high-quality American-made products.”
The establishment of the caucus signals renewed congressional attention on domestic manufacturing as a cornerstone of defense readiness, with stakeholders emphasizing that a strong U.S. textile sector remains essential to innovation, rapid response capability, and long-term national security resilience.
