President Obama on Friday signed a military budget that contains a provision requiring the Pentagon to buy American-made athletic shoes for new recruits.
The measure, pushed by Maine Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins and Rep. Bruce Poliquin, is expected to help 900 Maine workers for New Balance to keep their jobs.
New Balance makes athletic shoes at facilities in Norridgewock, Skowhegan and Norway.
The bill requires the military to follow the Berry Amendment when it comes to providing athletic shoes for its recruits. That rule requires the Pentagon to buy American-made products for the military wherever possible, but for years the military has instead given new recruits a cash allowance to buy athletic and training shoes of their choosing, regardless of whether they were made in America.
The Department of Defense agreed two years ago to apply the Berry Amendment to the recruits’ athletic shoes, but it had not implemented the new policy. The 2017 Defense bill requires the military to implement the policy and apply the Berry Amendment to athletic footwear.
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