The US Department of Defense has spent $176.8 billion over the past eight years buying foreign imports through more than 307,000 waivers to the Buy American Act, US Senator Chris Murphy aid in a press release published on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Buy American Act waivers are intended to allow US federal agencies to purchase goods or services from foreign companies, but only in extraordinary circumstances.

“Everywhere I go in Connecticut, people are outraged that their taxpayer dollars are being used to create jobs overseas, instead of here in America.”

Murphy’s report reveals that instead of investing in US manufacturers and job creation, the Defense Department has granted 307,123 waivers and exceptions to the Buy American Act over the last eight years, purchasing $176.8 billion in goods manufactured by foreign companies.

Waivers used for shipbuilding and aerospace products — two of Connecticut’s most important manufacturing sectors — alone amounted to $5.4 billion, the press release said.

“We should be doing everything in our power to create new American jobs, bolster our country’s manufacturing sector, and grow opportunities for the middle class; it’s about time the Department of Defense put American workers and businesses first.”

Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation: the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act to strengthen existing standards and reorient US government procurement decisions toward American manufacturers.