On Monday, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey announced the American Products in Parks Act – proposed legislation that would require all products for sale in National Park Service visitor centers and gift shops to be American made.
During the announcement at Morristown National Historic Park’s Jockey Hollow Visitor Center, Gottheimer was joined by Mitch Cahn, president of Newark, New Jersey-based supplier Unionwear, which produces American-made baseball caps and tote bags.
In addition to serving the promotional products industry, Cahn said that half of Unionwear’s revenue comes from serving the federal government, primarily the U.S. Department of Defense. The 33-year industry veteran credited the Berry Amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to buy American-made textiles, for sustaining his company.
Mitch Cahn
President, Unionwear
“That has given us a base of business we can rely on,” Cahn said. “If it weren’t for the Berry Amendment, most textile manufacturers would be out of business, and we wouldn’t have been here to help the country during COVID when we couldn’t get masks and gowns from China. [Like the Berry Amendment, the American Products in Parks Act] is going to be a very important law for national security and job creation.”
Potential Promo Opportunity
The American Products in Parks Act mandates that a product may only be sold in a National Park Service gift shop or visitor center if:
- the final assembly or processing of the product occurs in the U.S.
- all significant processing going into the product occurs in the U.S.
- all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced in the U.S.
Gottheimer is also asking the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration to conduct supply chain analysis with the National Park Service to find American-manufactured items to be sold in national parks.
- Suppliers specializing in “Made-in-USA” products have experienced greater demand since President Donald Trump implemented various tariffs this year.
- The American Products in Parks Act could provide another boon for American-made suppliers, as the National Park Service reported a record 331.9 million visitors who spent $29 billion in parks and the communities around them in 2024.
U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer
Gottheimer claims that more than 60% of merchandise in national park shops currently comes from outside the U.S., but the statistic he’s referring to is from 2008 and it doesn’t appear that the National Park Hospitality Association has published updated figures.
“I’m announcing new bipartisan legislation that says plainly: If it’s sold in our national parks and visitors centers, it’s got to be made in America,” Gottheimer said.
“Families who visit our parks and feel the love of our country that so many of us share should not have that feeling shattered when they turn over a gift and see ‘made in China’ instead of ‘made in America.’ This bill is about ensuring they don’t have to. It’s not only the patriotic thing to do, but it’s good for our economy – our families and their jobs, our manufacturers and our communities.”
Please contact Rachel Zoch, PPAI’s public affairs manager, at rachelz@ppai.org if you have any questions about regulatory issues or government affairs.
