“Pretty Pathetic!” US Senator Blasts National Museum Selling Statues of US Presidents… Made in China
EmailABC News’ Matthew Jaffe reports: With Chinese President Hu Jintao in Washington this week for a state visit, one US senator is raising an uproar over the Smithsonian Museum selling products made in China, such as miniature sculptures of presidents.
The gift shop at the National Museum of American History – located right on the Mall in the nation’s capital – sells various miniature statues of presidents past and present, from George Washington to Barack Obama, that were manufactured in China.
“It appears that a museum owned by the people of the United States, celebrating the history of the United States, cannot find companies in this country employing American workers that are able to manufacture statues of our founding fathers, or our current president,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, said in a letter to the museum.
“That is pretty pathetic!” he exclaimed. “I was not aware that the collapse of our manufacturing base had gone that far.”
“As a nation,” he said, “we have all got to be aware that one of the major reasons that the unemployment rate in this country is so high is because it is increasingly difficult to find products in our nation’s stores that are manufactured in this country. Our national museum should do its best to be a model in helping us address that crisis situation.”
Sanders posted pictures of the statues on his website at http://sanders.senate.gov/statues.html.
In response to the senator’s letter, a museum spokesman acknowledged receiving it and told the lawmaker’s office that a fuller response would be forthcoming.
The museum has yet to reply to messages left by ABC News.
UPDATE at 4p:
Brent Glass, the director of the National Museum of American History, called ABC News today to explain their stance on the made-in-China products.
“We do whenever possible try to buy from US-made manufacturers and we contract primarily with companies that are based in the US. We have more than 400 vendors just at our museum that are American that we work with. And our buyers only attend American trade shows,” Glass said. “But a lot of distributors carry products made domestically and internationally. We try to offer items to the public that are affordable and many of those products come from other countries, not only China.”
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This might be the one thing I ever agree with Sanders on.
EXTREMELY PATHETIC!!
Americans have been bought and sold to the Chinese, much to our own detriment.
Posted by: can you hear me now? | January 19, 2011, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
I am contractor – my project specifications contain “Buy American Clause” – can you spell Hypoc—
Posted by: jamescbuilder | January 19, 2011, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
- High union labor costs
- Expensive, onerous and overwrought environmental regulation
- Expansive mandated government health care
- Access to oil (plastic is petroleum based)
I can’t imagine why we don’t make things here … (you dumb a$$ legislators).
The Obama and the Democrat Senate will appoint a commission of Ivy League educated hacks to spend 3 years to investigate this, and blame Sarah Palin.
Posted by: Andrew | January 19, 2011, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
What’s even more hilarious is the complaint coming from the socialist dolt from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. That’s like Stalin complaining about how it’s a disgrace that Soviet food stores have such low inventory.
Make a new law, Bernie … all plastic President bobble head dolls have to be made in the US. Give every American kid $50 to subsidize their purchasing one. Problem solved. Chucky Schumer can co-sponsor the bill with you.
Posted by: Andrew | January 19, 2011, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
Bernie…LOL…you are an “independent” for goodness sake…you are acting like a “right wing ideological demagogue”! LOL…LOL Get a “grip” my friend and focus on IMPORTANT issues! LOL…LOL
Posted by: CND FOX | January 19, 2011, 3:17 pm 3:17 pm
the us has all sorts of trade agreements that make ‘buy american’ provisions impossible.
and yeah, andrew–it has nothing to do with the fact that wages in china are 10% of american wages. americans must become pooorer for them to be more competitive? perhapsit might seem that way to some–i have never me a conservative who did not have everything given to him. so everything looks that much more simple.
Posted by: joe blow | January 19, 2011, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
Please get used to the fact that the statutes of your presidents are made in China.
So are all your Christmas decoration, bible and etc.
We make souvenirs for the world.
There is no escape from Chinese products.
Consider yourself blessed.
Posted by: ferdinand | January 21, 2011, 9:37 pm 9:37 pm
I agree with Andrew. I feel that there was a time when unions were good. But it came to a point where everybody was wanting everything handed to them. I also feel that this is what made the companies look at China. Face it, it’s better to have an $8/Hr-$10/Hr job than no job.
We now find it hard to find a good job and we buy low-quality products that don’t last and give our children lead-poisoning. For example – I got some house slippers for Christmas. They are now coming apart. On the bottom, it says “Made in China”. I also noticed that they didn’t put the company name on it. I’d also be ashamed to put the name on it if I owned the company.
If I was looking at two products close to the same price (one made in China and the other made in USA), I definitely would buy the one made in USA!
Posted by: Mike | January 23, 2011, 1:48 pm 1:48 pm
I have never had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. I do know that if I visited, I would not be inclined to purchase any souvenirs that say “Made in China”. This is a disgrace. I don’t care if USA made products ARE at twice the cost: if it says “made in China” instead of “made in USA”, then it is a souvenir OF China, not the USA. If the museum directors, and similar stores, cannot locate existing USA suppliers, then maybe it is about time that the government , which has been spending an awful lot lately, get’s off it proverbial you-know-what and starts a grant program to start-up some businesses to make these objects!
Posted by: Steve Tabler | February 24, 2011, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
Yes, Mr. Glass you attend American trade shows… but your buyers RARELY show up at the ONLY trade show for American Made products…
The Buyers Market of American Craft
in Philadelphia or Baltimore… they don’t have to fly… it’s a short train ride. But they just don’t have the “budget” to travel to Philly (even if offered a free hotel room)… they’d rather go to NY gift where chinese knock-offs are sooo much more affordable!
Posted by: Wendy Rosen | February 25, 2011, 6:46 pm 6:46 pm
It’s about time that we had a wake up call on buying and supporting Made In America items. The junk that we buy from overseas has killed our own industry. The textile and furniture manufacturers have had to severely downsize or close shop all together because of want of a cheaper product. We got cheaper, and we got cheap. The products from the cheap sources break apart or look like crappe’ and are worthless in a few years instead of being heirlooms to future generations.
We need to re-educate ourselves and our younger generation that quality doesn’t come cheaply, so save your pennies to buy ONE quality item instead of a dozen cheap ones made outside of the USA. Antiques are also an option when buying furniture instead of pressboard laminated with plastic that imitates wood. Quality antique furniture is made from solid wood and has lasted decades if not a century or more and will last for more generations if taken care of.
There are local craftsman who are starving because of overseas purchases. You can turn this around and help them NOW by buying local. They will even custom design a solid wood piece so you don’t have to have something that 1000 other people have.
My husband and I had to make our own furniture because we didn’t like what we saw at the stores, cheaply made pieces of soft pine laminated with plastic faux wood veneer. We put the money we would have spent on the inferior merchandise into some equipment and wood and not only created sturdy, beautiful handmade furniture but also enjoyed the journey of creating works of art that can be enjoyed for many generations to come.
I realize that not everyone can make their own furniture, but I’m pointing out that you can support those who do this for a living and you will be happier with the piece that was handcrafted and Made In America and it will last!
Posted by: Meilie Moy-Hodnett | March 9, 2011, 12:34 am 12:34 am
I saw a lot of website but I believe this one has something extra in it. “Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” by William James.
Posted by: Alexis | October 9, 2011, 5:24 am 5:24 am