Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro introduced a resolution in support of buying American goods and services and reducing U.S. dependency on China for pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment, and many consumer goods. The resolution received unanimous support from the Erie County Legislature Thursday morning.

In 2018, the U.S. imported more than $12.7 billion worth of pharmaceuticals and antibiotics, medical devices, and food products from China, and these numbers do not even include certain organic chemicals used to create pharmaceutical products. Experts also estimate that roughly 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used to make medications come from China.

Legislator Todaro said, “As we see with the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation is dependent on China for many pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment, and many other consumer goods. This over-dependence on other countries for these goods can put our country in health and public safety peril. Now, as we begin to reopen the U.S. economy and look towards reopening Western New York, we need to Buy American made products to help our local and national economy get back on track.”

A copy of the resolution can be viewed here.