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Politics & Government

Israel: 'Made in America' is Common Sense

Congressman introduces the Bring the Jobs Home Loan Act at D'Addario Strings of East Farmingdale.

"This is what we're here for," said U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, pointing to a tiny American flag on the back of a newly packaged guitar strap Monday.

"It says 'Made in the USA' when 30 years ago, it would have said 'Made in China.'"

The Huntington Democrat spoke to hundreds of employees at the East Farmingdale musical accessories company about what he calls the most commonsensical thing to do regarding the economy: a new bill to bring the jobs back home.

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D'Addario is currently the largest producer of musical instrument accessories in the world and is a frequent stop for Israel in this campaign to re-shore production.

"I was here several months ago and manufacturers told me they wanted to bring jobs back home," said Israel. "But they need some loans to help."

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The new "Bring the Jobs Home Loan Act" will offer just that, said Israel. By offsetting costs of re-shoring production, the new act will allow the Small Business Association to loan money to businesses, encouraging investments and assisting in training employees here in America.

"This is one of the smartest things we can do…It's common sense," Israel said.

According to the LA Times, goods made in China and bought here only account for 2.7% of US consumption. However, as China's inflation rate grows, goods and services produced there get more expensive. Although this wouldn't be as "as crippling to the economy as you might assume," Israel believes we shouldn't outsource when we have equal resources right on Long Island.

As D'Addario Strings president Jim D'Addario took Israel on a tour of the complex, he pointed out products that used to take weeks to be assembled and packaged abroad that are now assembled and shipped within hours.

For the 800 employees of D'Addario, the time is now. 

"The timing is right on the money," said D'Addario's director of operations Craig Harbauer. "The concept of 'Made in America' has gained a lot of traction and with more visits from politicians, we can continue to get that push."

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