Senator Baldwin Invites Commerce Secretary to Visit Wisconsin to See Firsthand How Wisconsin Manufacturing is Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) invited Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to visit Wisconsin to highlight the state’s robust domestic manufacturing sector and discuss how the state is uniquely positioned to drive the country’s efforts to rebuild our infrastructure. Senator Baldwin successfully pushed to include Buy America standards in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ensuring that materials used to rebuild our roads, bridges, water infrastructure, and broadband infrastructure are produced in the United States.

“We have a long and proud tradition of manufacturing things here in Wisconsin, a one-of-a-kind skilled workforce, and a pipeline of talent to drive innovation and grow our economy in high-demand industries. With the new investments from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Wisconsin is primed to be at the center of the manufacturing boom and we need to make sure top officials in the Biden administration know that,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am inviting Secretary Gina Raimondo to Wisconsin to see the Badger State’s potential as a growth center in the Midwest, show that our Made in Wisconsin economy stands ready to rebuild our infrastructure, and prove our ability to turn this federal investment into a major asset for our country and economy.”

Key provisions of Senator Baldwin’s Made in America Act were included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including:

• Making permanent an American iron and steel requirement for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
• Expanding Buy America to many common construction materials beyond just iron, steel, and manufactured products. New materials could include: non-ferrous metals (like copper), plastic, concrete, glass (including optical glass in broadband), lumber, and drywall.
• Requiring that all of the manufacturing processes used in making the material be completed in the United States in order to qualify as “American made.”
• Requiring the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider how many American jobs are created when setting its standards.

In addition, the infrastructure legislation includes a reform that would extend Buy America requirements to infrastructure programs that don’t currently have them. This means that all future federal infrastructure funding would be subject to Buy America requirements. Senator Baldwin also worked to tailor the Buy America rules so that they addressed concerns raised by Wisconsin roadbuilders and foundries.

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