Senior American congressmen were furious yesterday after it emerged that their country's Olympic uniforms were made in China, with one urging US officials to "put them in a big pile and burn them".
Politicians from Left and Right expressed dismay that the job of producing the outfits that will be donned by their athletes for official ceremonies had not given to ailing American manufacturers.
"It is not just a label, it's an economic solution," said Steve Israel, a Democrat who represents New York. "There are 600,000 vacant manufacturing jobs in this country and the Olympic committee is outsourcing the manufacturing of uniforms to China? That is not just outrageous, it's just plain dumb."
The blazers, trousers, skirts and berets were designed by Ralph Lauren, one of America's leading designers. "You'd think they'd know better," said John Boehner, the Republican House Speaker.
The disclosure prompted a rare moment of unity in an era of ferocious partisanship in Washington that has frequently brought gridlock to the US political system.
"I am so upset," said Harry Reid, the Democrats' Senate leader. "I think the Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves.
"I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again," said Mr Reid, who added that it would be preferable for the athletes to wear a plain vest bearing a hand-painted "USA". Letters of protest were sent to the US Olympic Committee (USOC).
With unemployment stuck at more than eight per cent and new job creation almost stagnant, the outsourcing of work has become one of the most fiercely-contested issues of the presidential campaign.
In a statement, the USOC said: "We're proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company." Lauren's firm declined to comment.
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