Joe Biden is trying to paint himself as an “America first” kind of guy by requiring that all infrastructure projects in the U.S. use American steel.
A cynical person might view this as nothing more than Biden paying back the steelworker union for their support.
Jon Brown reports at FOX News:
Biden will require infrastructure projects buy from America first for steel, ironThe Biden administration will require that material purchased to build projects funded by the $1 trillion infrastructure bill be made in the United States, according to administration officials.The 17-page guidance being issued Monday also contains rules by which such requirements can be waived if there are not enough domestic producers or the material is too expensive, but the goal remains that fewer waivers will be necessary as U.S. manufacturing increases.Beginning May 14, none of the money allocated to federal agencies for infrastructure projects can be used “unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States,” according to a provision in the infrastructure bill that passed last November.The guidance also explains that such requirements can be waived if the purchase “would be inconsistent with the public interest,” if the needed materials aren’t produced “in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality,” or if U.S. materials increase a project’s cost by more than 25%.
It’s worth noting that even though the steelworkers union endorsed Biden, they ended up begging him to keep Trump’s tariffs in place.
NBC News has more:
In 17 pages of guidance Monday, the Office of Management and Budget instructs federal agencies to make sure that by mid-May, any projects to build or repair roads, bridges, water pipes or even broadband internet are made with domestic products, including iron and steel.”This means all manufacturing processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the United States,” the guidance says of the metals requirement.Government agencies can obtain waivers for the requirements if it’s found that procuring the products domestically isn’t in the public’s interest, that quantities of the materials aren’t “sufficient and reasonably available … or of a satisfactory quality,” or if the U.S.-sourced materials would raise the cost of a project by more than 25 percent, the guidance says.
I’m not against the use of American steel. I think it’s a great idea, but I am curious. Is Biden expecting this steel to be produced with wind power?
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