Restore ‘Buy America’ Plan to use U.S. Workers & Materials in U.S. Construction Projects

In dispute between President-elect Trump and U.S. House Republican leadership, McCaskill joins bipartisan push in Senate to restore a plan, stripped by U.S. House Republicans, to require American-made steel and iron be used in infrastructure projects funded

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has joined a bipartisan push in the Senate to boost American jobs, demanding that ‘Buy America’ provisions requiring U.S. workers and materials be used in construction projects, be restored to a national water infrastructure bill, after they were removed by U.S. House Republicans.

McCaskill said that the U.S. House leadership’s move to strip the provisions would send American tax dollars to foreign companies at the expense of U.S. iron and steel producers and workers across the country.

“When Americans’ tax dollars are spent on critical infrastructure needs in America, the companies doing the work should hire American workers and buy American steel—they shouldn’t be spending those tax dollars on foreign resources,” McCaskill said. “Doubling the economic boost from these projects seems like common sense to me—and President-elect Trump has made clear he supports the idea, too. I can’t for the life of me figure out why Republican leaders in the U.S. House refuse to get on board to buy and hire American.”

The ‘Buy America’ provision was approved by the Senate with broad bipartisan support in the Water Resources Development Act, but struck during negotiations with U.S. House Republican leadership. This decision runs counter to President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment last week in Cincinnati where he said about infrastructure spending, “We will have two simple rules when it comes to this massive rebuilding effort: Buy American and hire American.”

McCaskill has consistently advocated for American and Missourian manufacturing. Earlier this year, after urging from McCaskill on behalf of Missouri manufacturers Bull Moose Tube Company and EXLTUBE, the International Trade Commission voted 4-2 to level the playing field for Missouri and U.S. manufacturers by finalizing duties against foreign steel pipe and tubing producers found to be illegally dumping in the international market.

Last year, McCaskill worked with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio to pass the Federal Permitting Improvement Act which streamlined and sped up the federal permitting process for the largest and most complex projects. Her work to pass this legislationwas cited by Daniel Mehan, President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry as, “a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure around the country.”

She has also worked to eliminate a redundant pesticide approvals process for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers, opposed the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule saying it “goes too far,” prevented burdensome regulations on St. Louis-based manufacturer Unico Systems, led a successful fight against unnecessary EPA regulations that would have negatively impacted Ste. Genevieve-based manufacturer Holcim, and won a victory for supermarkets, grocery stores, and similar retail locations by securing a one-year delay in new menu labeling requirements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Full text of letter HERE.

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/jobs to learn more about McCaskill’s fight to expand Missouri jobs.