The Specialty Metal Provision and the Berry Amendment: Issues for Congress

Grasso, Valerie Bailey

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Metals;    National defense;    Natural resources;    Defense contracts;    Congressional oversight;   

RP-ID  :  RL33751
RP-ID  :  RL33751_2008Sep02

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

This report examines the specialty metal provision which was originally part of the Berry Amendment; the potential oversight issues for Congress, and options that Congress may wish to consider. The debate over the specialty metal provision may also renew interest in the debate over the viability of other domestic source restrictions. There is congressional interest in the specialty metal provision because: (1) the specialty metal restriction affects major defense contractors who produce components for commercial airplanes; (2) some prime defense contractors as well as subcontractors on the second, third, and fourth tiers have stated that they were unable to comply with the Berry Amendment specialty metal requirement; (3) DOD has authorized the use of waivers to purchase non-compliant items (non-compliant specialty metal are metal that do not meet the 100% domestic source requirement of the Berry Amendment); and (4) the long-term impact of the specialty metal provision on the costs of defense equipment and programs, particularly on the requirement that weapon system components be certified as made in the United States.