SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE EXTENSION OF BUY-AMERICA PROVISIONS FOR STAINLESS STEEL FLATWARE IN ANNUAL DEFENSE BILL, BOOSTING ‘MADE IN AMERICA’ FLATWARE LIKE AT SHERRILL MANUFACTURING IN ONEIDA COUNTY
Schumer And Gillibrand Deliver On Key Legislation Directing The Department of Defense (DoD) To Procure Stainless Steel Flatware and Dinnerware From Domestic Sources, Helping Drive New Growth At American Flatware Producers Such As Oneida County’s Sherrill Manufacturing
Senators Say Extension Of ‘SPOONSS Act’ In Annual Defense Bill Will Restore Long-Standing Domestic Sourcing Requirements, Protecting Good-Paying Jobs In The Mohawk Valley
Schumer, Gillibrand: The Bipartisan ‘SPOONSS Act’ Will Put A Fork In Unfair Foreign Competition From Countries Like China By Requiring Our Military To Purchase American-Made Dinnerware & Flatware From Companies Like Sherrill!
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced they secured a key victory for Upstate New York in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) that will extend the Support Procurement of our Nation’s Stainless Steel (SPOONSS) Act, reinstating the Berry Amendment’s long-standing Department of Defense domestic sourcing requirement for stainless steel flatware and dinnerware.
Following Schumer’s and Gillibrand’s successful efforts to secure this extension in the Senate NDAA, they tirelessly worked to ensure it was included in the final bill which passed the Senate on December 18. Now that it’s been included in the must-pass legislation, SPOONSS is headed to the president’s desk before the year’s end.
“Sherrill Manufacturing has produced the very finest, American-made flatware and dinnerware in Oneida County for generations, which is why I’ve long pushed for the United States government to use its buying power to support Sherrill’s world-class workers in the Mohawk Valley. Today, I am proud to say we’ve delivered on a genuine kitchen table issue for Mohawk Valley residents while also sticking a fork in unfair foreign competition from countries like China by requiring our military to purchase utensils and flatware from American manufacturers in this year’s national defense bill,” said Senator Schumer. “This is a win-win: our military will have the highest quality silverware available, made by hardworking Americans while boosting America’s only remaining flatware maker and the Mohawk Valley economy.”
“I’m proud to have fought to get the SPOONSS Act included in this year’s NDAA to boost our domestic flatware manufacturers, who are truly a cut above. including Sherrill Manufacturing in the Mohawk Valley. I will continue fighting to ensure that our service members have the best equipment available and to support American manufacturing,” said Senator Gillibrand.
Greg Owens, cofounder and CEO of Sherrill Manufacturing said, “We at Sherrill Manufacturing are grateful to Senator Schumer for his longstanding support of our company and this big win for our employees. Inclusion in the Berry Amendment will provide us with an opportunity to expand our government sales, increase employment, and continue to grow our American-made flatware business.”
“The SPOONSS Act is key to unlocking new growth in the United States dinnerware and flatware manufacturing industry, which is proudly led by longtime MACNY member Sherrill Manufacturing in the Mohawk Valley,” said MACNY Executive Vice President Michael Frame. “As we focus on revitalizing and reshoring all facets of American manufacturing, we need legislation like SPOONSS to protect New York State companies from unfair competition. On behalf of the NYS manufacturing community, I extend my sincere appreciation to Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand for renewing SPOONSS and supporting MACNY and its members.”
According to Schumer and Gillibrand, Sherrill Manufacturing has long been a key supplier of stainless steel flatware for the United States Military, and their biggest government customer is currently the Navy. Unfortunately, in recent decades, the influx of cheap alternatives from state-subsidized foreign competitors in countries like China has made it difficult for domestic producers to compete on cost. Thanks to SPOONSS, Schumer and Gillibrand explained that the table is now set for Sherrill Manufacturing to ramp up their business with the feds, which the company hopes will drive new growth, investment, and jobs. In particular, the senators said the company has expressed interest in increasing sales of their stainless steel flatware to other branches of the military.
The Department of Defense (DoD) was previously required to procure American-made stainless-steel flatware, but the requirement was repealed in the FY2007 NDAA due to supply chain shortages that proceeded to force the DoD to procure their flatware from foreign sources, namely China. However, domestic production of stainless-steel flatware and dinnerware has since bounced back, as demonstrated by the success of Oneida County’s Sherrill Manufacturing, located in Sherrill, NY, which produces several lines of flatware under the Liberty Tabletop brand and continues to grow its American workforce and revenue. To address this, Schumer and Gillibrand reinstated this requirement with the inclusion of the SPOONSS Act in the FY2020 NDAA, which expired in 2023. The senators said this new extension is a critical next step for the continued growth and success of American-made dinnerware and flatware produced by companies like Sherrill Manufacturing.
With this most recent extension secured by Senators Schumer and Gillibrand that will go into effect one year after passage and sunset in 2029, DoD will once again be required to purchase American-made flatware for the Armed Forces.
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