Rep. Brad Finstad on Right-to-Repair Policy and Small Business Impact

Right-to-Repair and DoD Acquisitions

• 🎯 Rep. Brad Finstad questioned Under Secretary of Defense Michael Duffey regarding the Department of Defense's (DoD) approach to right-to-repair laws.
• 💡 The DoD's push for right-to-repair aims to improve sustainment, cut costs, and boost readiness.
• ⚠️ Finstad expressed concern that current proposals create significant business, legal, and technical challenges, particularly for small businesses and non-traditional suppliers.

Intellectual Property and Innovation

• 🧩 The complexity of intellectual property law makes the right-to-repair debate challenging.
• ⚖️ Finstad highlighted that some 'all or nothing' proposals can be problematic for industry.
• 🛠️ To address this, Finstad offered an amendment requiring the DoD to assess its specific needs for IP and technical data.
• 🚀 This targeted approach ensures the DoD only requests necessary information, allowing industry to provide solutions with protections on privately funded IP.

Commitment to Balanced Policy

• 🤝 Finstad emphasized the critical role of a strong and innovative industrial base for national security.
• ✅ He secured a commitment from Under Secretary Duffey to work with the committee on crafting a balanced policy.
• 🌟 This balanced policy aims to meet DoD's sustainment needs without undermining commercial innovation.