Kevin Rhodes, nominated to be administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget, told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee he would enforce Buy America requirements and increase transparency in federal contracting if confirmed.

Senator Marco Moreno asked whether Rhodes would require agencies to buy U.S.‑made products when federal law requires it, citing federal purchases of nitrile gloves from foreign suppliers. Rhodes replied, “I absolutely am committed to Buy America,” and said federal agencies should buy domestically produced products when available.

Senators also raised enforcement gaps for E‑Verify during federal contracting. Rhodes said he would “take a hard look at that” and examine ways to strengthen regulations or systems to ensure contractors and subcontractors comply with existing law.

Committee members asked about reports that some agencies have purchased large data‑aggregation tools to consolidate Americans’ personal data. Rhodes said he had no knowledge of a specific “master database” purchase by Palantir and that, if confirmed, he would investigate and follow applicable laws.

On procurement transparency, Rhodes said contract information should be available to the public “following all regulations that are in place” and that he would work to ensure systems that post procurement information are used effectively.

Rhodes also discussed his background as a veteran and his prior service at OMB and said he would follow conflict‑of‑interest rules and post procurement information in accordance with regulations.