Buy American Seafood Act

Key Points

• This bill would ban federal agencies from buying any foreign seafood for government food programs. All seafood must be caught by American fishing boats in U.S. waters or raised through American aquaculture (fish farming) and processed domestically.
• The rule covers a wide range of federal food programs, including emergency food assistance, military food services, FEMA disaster relief food, school lunch and breakfast programs, and any other program that buys or hands out food with federal money.
• Agencies can get a waiver to buy foreign seafood, but only if the Secretary of Agriculture determines there is not enough domestic seafood or if it does not meet food safety standards. Any waiver must be published in the Federal Register and reported to Congress within 30 days.
• The bill also amends the National School Lunch Act to specifically define domestic seafood and create a separate waiver process for school meal programs, ensuring the same Buy American standards apply to school lunches and breakfasts.
• If enacted, the government would have 180 days to write and publish the new rules. The bill does not authorize any new spending, meaning it changes purchasing rules within existing budgets.