- The SBA and GSA de-listed 22 products from the GSA Advantage! website for falsely claiming to be “made in America”
- Sherrill Manufacturing complained that China-based companies were unfairly using the GSA website to market foreign-made goods
- Kelly Loeffler, SBA administrator and 2026 Wash100 awardee, said they have “zero-tolerance policy” on fraud
The Small Business Administration announced Friday that it teamed up with the General Services Administration to remove 22 flatware products from the GSA Advantage! list of approved American-made goods. According to SBA, the decision resulted from its investigation of vendors falsely marketing their products as “made in America.”
How Did SBA and GSA Discover the False Advertising?
The investigation was prompted by a complaint from Sherrill Manufacturing, a U.S. producer of stainless steel flatware. The small business alleged that some China-based companies were claiming that their goods partially assembled in the U.S. were “made in America” on the GSA Advantage! website. This violates the Buy American Act, the Trade Agreements Act, and the Berry Amendment, which requires that essential items procured by the Department of War be completely manufactured or grown in the U.S.
What Is SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s Stance on the Issue?
“Consistent with a zero-tolerance policy on waste, fraud and abuse, the Trump Administration is sending a clear message that we will not tolerate foreign imposters that hijack Made in America labels, or those that undercut honest, generational, American small businesses,” said Kelly Loeffler, SBA administrator and 2026 Wash100 awardee.
What Are the Other SBA Efforts to Prioritize Domestic Manufacturers?
As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to strengthen U.S. industrial supply chains, SBA in May launched a measure that would give small enterprises a 90% federal loan guarantee through its International Trade Loan program. The goal was to encourage manufacturers to increase their domestic production and personnel.
