| FTC: Made In The USA Comments Concerning The Hon.
Michael G. Oxley --P894219 Congress of the United States September 4, 1997 The Honorable Robert Pitofsky Dear Chairman Pitofsky: I understand that the Federal Trade Commission has nearly completed its consideration of changes to the working definition of the "Made in America" label. I wanted to take this opportunity to vigorously support the new guidelines the Commission has proposed with the belief that they reflect a pragmatic response to the new reality of an intertwined global marketplace. As you are well aware, it is nearly impossible to produce a good that does not have a significant amount of foreign content in this economic environment. This makes efforts to absolutely label the origin of a given good little more than guesswork. Further, the small number of products that meet the strict criteria established make the label almost irrelevant. The policies being reviewed reflect these developments by allowing goods that have a substantial, rather than absolute, amount of American content to be labeled "Made in the USA." I applaud this important proposed change. To compete effectively in the international economy, American companies must not only sell internationally, but they must also buy components internationally. When labeling for content, we must not only allow for this trade but we must encourage it when possible and appropriate. Goods that are substantially assembled domestically are worthy of the "Made in the USA" label. Again, I appreciate this opportunity to offer my support for your efforts in this regard. I firmly believe that the American worker can compete and win in the international marketplace. We must modernize our labeling procedures to reflect the growing international trade that comes with this competitiveness. Yours truly, Michael G. Oxley |