{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mace.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-nancy-maces-amendment-fights-protect-american-seafood", "Rep. Nancy Mace's Amendment Fights To Protect American Seafood", "2025-09-09", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Nancy Mace", "M000194", "mace.house.gov", "mace", "https://mace.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C., September 9, 2025) \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC-01) announced new action to safeguard South Carolina\u2019s shrimpers, fishermen, and coastal economy by introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requiring the Department of War (DoW) to purchase only American-caught seafood.\n\n\u201cFor too long, foreign competitors have undercut American workers, threatened our economy, and exploited loopholes in federal law. Our amendment ends it,\u201d said Congresswoman Mace. \u201cIf the Pentagon is buying seafood, it will come from American waters, caught by American hands, not from our adversaries.\u201d\n\nFirst enacted in 1941, the Berry Amendment ensures the DoW buys American-made products critical to national security. Rep. Mace\u2019s amendment specifically closes the loophole for seafood, requiring every fish, shrimp, and shellfish the Pentagon buys to come from U.S. sources, not foreign imports.\n\nThis amendment comes as South Carolina shrimpers battle unfair competition and alleged mislabeling of foreign shrimp as \u201clocal.\u201d By enforcing fair rules and putting American-caught seafood first, it ensures the Pentagon buys only American-caught seafood, giving South Carolina shrimpers the fair shake they deserve.\n\nBryan Jones the Vice President of the South Carolina Shrimpers Association provided the following quote:\n\n\"This amendment is a matter of fairness, and we are grateful to Congresswoman Mace for her leadership. The Department of War has a responsibility to feed our troops and their families safe, high-quality seafood. By closing this loophole, the Congresswoman is ensuring that our military's food supply is not only secure but also supports the very American workers who are the backbone of our coastal communities. This is a common-sense measure that protects both our national security and our domestic industry.\"\n\n\u201cSouth Carolina\u2019s shrimpers and fishermen are the backbone of our coastal economy and they feed American families,\u201d added Mace. \u201cThey work from sunup to sundown, carrying on generations of tradition and keeping our Lowcountry alive. We will not allow foreign interests to game the system at their expense. Our people deserve a level playing field, and we will always stand up to make sure they get it.\u201d\n\nThis amendment is one of five Mace proposals made in order for consideration during floor debate on the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mace.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-nancy-maces-amendment-fights-protect-american-seafood"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8306459058076143, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}