Democrats urge Olympic Committee to reconsider making uniforms in China

{mosads}Rep.
Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee (DCCC), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) sent a
letter to the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday protesting the
“shocking and deeply disappointing” decision to produce Team USA
uniforms in China.

The two Democrats ask the committee to reconsider its decision and make sure it does not happen again.

“We
are asking that the Committee and its Board of Directors take immediate
steps to guarantee that this embarrassment does not happen again by
voting that any future contracts for Olympic uniforms are made in
America,” they wrote. “Just as our athletes will be proudly competing in
London, American manufacturers compete for the honor to outfit them on
the criteria of using solely American workers to make these uniforms. It
has been reported by economists that if every one of us spent an extra
$3.33 on U.S.-made goods every year, it would create nearly 10,000 new
jobs in this country.”

The berets, shirts, blazers, skirts and trousers designed by Ralph Lauren for Team USA were all made in China, according to ABC News. The clothes are meant to be worn during the opening and closing ceremonies.

A
spokesman for the Olympic Committee has called the controversy
“nonsense,” emphasizing that Ralph Lauren is a sponsor and an American
company.

All this talk about olympic uniforms made in China is non sense.Polo RL is an American company that supports American athletes

— Patrick Sandusky (@PatrickSandusky) July 12, 2012

“Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is
privately funded and we’re grateful for the support of our sponsors,”
Sandusky said in a statement. “We’re proud of our partnership with Ralph
Lauren, an iconic American company, and excited to watch America’s
finest athletes compete at the upcoming Games in London.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) also sent a letter to the committee. 

“Not
only does the United States have any number of manufacturers capable of
outfitting our athletes, they are in a competition with the Chinese
that is anything but fair,” he wrote. “If gold medals were awarded for
dodging international trade laws — China would sweep.”

The letters
join Senate Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) comments Thursday on the topic
in expressing congressional displeasure. Reid told reporters
the committee should “burn them and start all over again.” House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also spoke out against the
decision.

Democrats were not the only ones upset about the
uniforms on Thursday. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said, “You’d
think they know better.”

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) tweeted that he is “outraged” and that the news was “beyond belief.”