H.R. 10264: American Made Federal Uniforms and Apparel Act of 2026

This bill would require most federal agencies to buy certain clothing, uniforms, and related textile products only from U.S. sources.

What items are covered

The rule would apply to a broad set of apparel and textile products, including:

• clothing and uniforms
• outerwear, headwear, underwear, nightwear, footwear, hosiery, handwear, belts, badges, and insignia
• the materials and components used to make those items
• certain cotton, wool, silk, synthetic fabric, canvas, and related textile products used in those items

It would not apply to sensors, electronics, or other items that are added to clothing but are not normally part of clothing itself.

Core purchasing rule

Federal agencies generally could not use federal funds to buy a covered item unless it is grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States. The bill says this applies whether the item is:

• bought directly by an agency
• leased or rented
• provided by a contractor as part of a services contract
• provided under laundry, uniform management, or similar service contracts
• bought through common procurement vehicles like indefinite-delivery contracts or blanket purchase agreements

Exceptions

The bill would allow exceptions in several situations:

• Availability exception: if the agency head determines that U.S.-made items of satisfactory quality and quantity are not available when needed at U.S. market prices.
• Overseas or emergency procurement: for certain purchases outside the United States, including support for contingency operations, declared disasters, evacuations, or other designated operations.
• Urgent purchases: when unusual and compelling urgency justifies a noncompetitive procurement.
• Micro-purchases: purchases below the federal micro-purchase threshold, with a rule preventing agencies from splitting larger purchases into smaller ones to avoid the requirement.
• Resale items: items bought solely for resale in places like gift shops, bookstores, visitor centers, canteens, or exchanges, unless an agency decides otherwise by regulation.

How it fits with existing law

The bill says this new requirement would work alongside, and in some cases override if there is a conflict with, other domestic sourcing rules such as the Buy American Act. It would not change existing rules that are even stricter, and it would not limit the Department of Defense’s Berry Amendment or certain homeland security requirements.

It also says the requirement would still apply even if a trade agreement might otherwise allow foreign sourcing, unless a later federal law specifically says otherwise.

Special treatment for organizations serving blind or severely disabled workers

The bill says it would not block purchases required under the federal program that gives priority to products made by people who are blind or severely disabled. However, the responsible committee would have to create procedures to apply the new domestic sourcing rule as much as possible while still preserving that program’s employment goals. Any availability exception for those purchases would need consultation with that committee.

Transition rules

The new rules would apply only to contracts, solicitations, and orders made on or after the effective date. Existing contracts entered into before then would generally be grandfathered in, and some preexisting contract options could still be used if they do not materially change the covered-item requirements.

Implementation and reporting

Within 180 days after enactment, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council would have to issue regulations to carry out the law, including a standard contract clause. Federal agencies would also have to review and update their own procurement guidance and contract rules.

Beginning two years after the law takes effect, and then annually for three more years, the General Services Administration would have to report to Congress on how the rule is working. Those reports would include data on how much covered clothing and textile products were bought, how much came from domestic versus foreign sources, how many exceptions were used, and any recommendations for changes.

Relevant Companies

• UNF - UniFirst may be affected if federal agencies and contractors shift more uniform purchasing toward domestically sourced products and possibly different uniform-management arrangements.
• CTAS - Cintas could be affected because it supplies uniforms and related services to organizations that may need to meet the new sourcing rules for federal contracts.
• GEM - U.S. apparel and textile manufacturers such as Glamhill? None found.