On June 6, 2024, a new bill was introduced with the main aim of strengthening the manufacturing of bicyclesin the USA.
The bill, the Domestic Bicycle Production Act, waspresented byCongressman Earl Blumenauer, who is also the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus.
Bringing Bike Manufacturing Back to the USA
Most of the popular bike brands in the USA today aren’t actually American. Despite boasting companies like Schwinn, Murray, and Huffy, and a reported 10 million bikes made domestically in 1973, nearly all of the bikes sold in the USA in the last few years (97.8% in 2022) were imported, mostly from China.
Congressman Blumenauer is taking a leaf out of Europe’s book when it comes tobike manufacturing. In 2022, 14.7 million bikes were made in the EU thanks to its strong trade policies and factory investments. Blumenauer believes that the U.S. can do the same with the Domestic Bicycle Production Act.
The Domestic Bicycle Production Act
Designed to reshore bike manufacturing, the Domestic Bicycle Act has a three-tiered approach. The first is to suspend tariffs on bike parts (including frames, brakes, saddles, and electric motors on e-bikes) for 10 years to encourage bike assembly in the U.S.
Next, is offering tax credits for U.S.-made bikes in an attempt to incentivize companies to opt for domestic manufacturing. The final step is making low-interest loans of 12 years more accessible to companies so that they can buy all the equipment and parts needed to build or expand their bike factories.
Blumenauer’s Congressional Bike Caucus
Congressman Blumenauer, the U.S. representative for Oregon’s 3rd congressional district, has been a long-time supporter of bike infrastructure in America. In 1996, he founded the Congressional Bike Caucus (CBC), a group that brings members of Congress together to support federal investment in bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
Via the CBC, Blumenauer helped secure federal funding for the development of Portland’s bike network, and even the bike-friendly and car-free Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge unveiled in 2022.
In addition to being the founder and co-chair of the CBC, Blumenauer is also a ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. The League of American Bicyclistsawardedthe congressman with the inaugural Earl Blumenauer Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2024.
Blumenauer’s Push for Domestic Bicycle Production
With over 50 years in Congress, and doing a lot for bicycles and cycling in America so as to, as he says, make cities more “livable”, Congressman Blumenauer has announced that he is retiring at the end of this year—but not before one final push for bikes in the USA.
“Domestic manufacturing is the missing piece of the bike revolution,” saysBlumenauer. “My legislation would give bike manufacturers the foothold they need to establish a thriving industry here in the United States.”
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Bob Pool
