In the coming months and years, the Homeland Security Department is going to have to buy more of its uniforms and equipment from domestic small businesses. 

The fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act that President Biden signed on December 23, 2022, includes the bipartisan Homeland Procurement Reform Act. This bill deals with uniforms; footwear; holsters and tactical pouches, patches, insignia and embellishments; protective gear; and body armor for Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Protective Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed glaring gaps in our domestic supply chain that left our nation flat-footed during the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a press release last month. “This is a necessary and forward-looking effort that will help ensure those defending our national security will always have the materials they need to stay safe on the job when a crisis strikes, while also incentivizing additional investment in American manufacturing.”