U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Statement on Removal of ‘Buy America’ Reform in Water Infrastructure Bill

Baldwin’s ‘Buy America’ reform removed by Republican House Leadership 

“By removing my Buy America standard, Speaker Ryan and House Republicans are embracing the status-quo in Washington.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today released the following statement on the removal of her ‘Buy America’ reform from the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) by Republican House Leadership:

“By removing my Buy America standard, Speaker Ryan and House Republicans are embracing the status-quo in Washington. This is a failure by House leadership to make a solid commitment to American manufacturers and workers,” said Senator Baldwin. “American workers should build our infrastructure with American products and taxpayers' money should not be spent on Chinese or Russian iron and steel. It’s disappointing that the President-elect is sitting silent in Trump Tower.”

Senator Baldwin previously called on President-elect Donald Trump to take a stand against the effort being made by Speaker Paul Ryan and Congressional Republicans to pull her Buy America provision from the water infrastructure bill that passed the Senate in September. 

Last Thursday night in Cincinnati, on the first stop of his "Thank You Tour," Trump said his infrastructure plan would follow two simple rules: "Buy American and hire American. We're going to do it ourselves."

However, on Friday, the media reported that Speaker Ryan was leading a push to remove the Buy America reform from Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Senator Baldwin joined a bipartisan a group of 25 Senators in sending a letter to House and Senate leaders calling for her Buy America provision to be put back into the final bill to support U.S. steel and iron workers and manufacturers.

Senator Baldwin introduced Buy America legislation, the Made in America Water Infrastructure Act, to require American-made iron and steel is used in drinking water projects funded through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Baldwin’s ‘Buy America’ standard had already passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support before Republican House Leadership stripped it from the final water infrastructure bill released today.

Senator Baldwin’s reform is supported by the United Steelworkers union and Wisconsin manufacturers in the iron and steel industry supply chain, including Neenah Foundry.