S. 5239: American Glove Act of 2026

The bill would change how the federal government buys certain nitrile gloves, with the goal of making those purchases comply with domestic sourcing rules already in the Make PPE in America Act.

What products are covered

The bill applies to covered nitrile gloves, meaning nitrile examination gloves and other non-surgical nitrile gloves bought by the federal government for medical, public health, emergency response, homeland security, laboratory, biodefense, or other protective uses.

Which agencies and buying arrangements are affected

It applies to several federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and Defense, plus other executive agencies that buy these gloves through shared purchasing arrangements. It specifically covers purchases made through mechanisms such as governmentwide contracts, blanket purchase agreements, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts, prime vendor arrangements, AbilityOne contracts, and similar vehicles.

Domestic manufacturing requirement

For covered glove purchases, the bill would require that the gloves be manufactured only by qualified domestic manufacturers. To qualify, a manufacturer must:

• make the gloves in the United States,
• be majority-owned and controlled by U.S. persons,
• not be owned or significantly influenced by a foreign entity of concern, and
• have the capacity to produce the gloves at commercial scale in the U.S.

The bill defines “manufacture” as doing the main production steps needed to make the gloves, such as forming, dipping, curing, finishing, testing, and packaging. It says that activities like resale, distribution, warehousing, repackaging, or shipping do not count as manufacturing.

Long-term supplier agreements

The bill would require the purchasing structure to include supplier agreements with qualified domestic manufacturers. These agreements must:

• last at least two years,
• include a binding minimum purchase or similar demand commitment,
• set pricing, delivery, quality, and performance terms,
• identify the specific U.S. manufacturer and facility,
• prevent substitution of another manufacturer unless the agency approves a change, and
• be directly enforceable between the contracting party and the manufacturer.

Limits on using intermediaries

The bill says agencies cannot treat the use of AbilityOne or similar intermediary contracting structures as satisfying the long-term contracting requirements unless the domestic manufacturer itself receives a qualifying supplier agreement. It also says the government must keep sourcing the gloves from the named domestic manufacturer for the life of the agreement unless the manufacturer consents, materially fails to perform, another legal exception applies, or the agreement is formally modified and documented.

Foreign ownership and control restrictions

To qualify, a manufacturer cannot be owned, controlled, or significantly influenced by a foreign entity of concern. The bill specifically points to influence through parent companies, affiliates, joint ventures, financing, licensing, or other arrangements that could affect production, pricing, supply, intellectual property, or operations.

Certification and enforcement

For each covered purchasing vehicle, the agency would have to keep a written certification in the contract file showing that the vehicle complies with the bill, including that the gloves are made in the U.S. by qualified domestic manufacturers and that the supplier agreements meet the two-year and minimum-demand requirements. If a purchasing arrangement is found not to comply, the agency would have to take corrective action under existing procurement law.

Effect on AbilityOne and existing contracts

The bill says it does not ban use of the AbilityOne Program for these purchases, and it does not require agencies to remove gloves from the Procurement List or end AbilityOne arrangements just because the gloves come from a qualified domestic manufacturer. It also says existing procurement vehicles should be brought into compliance using existing procurement tools when possible, rather than being automatically canceled or rebid.

Relevant Companies

None found