Ahead of planned talks about a federal infrastructure package, members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voiced support on Monday for Buy America and Buy American domestic procurement policies in a letter to Trump Administration officials.
President Donald Trump called for strict enforcement of domestic procurement policies in an executive order issued in April. The order directed the commerce secretary to submit a “Buy America” report to the president that includes “specific recommendations to strengthen implementation,” of domestic preference laws.
In a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, leading Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voiced support for the president’s executive order and requested a copy of the Buy America report, which was due on Nov. 24.
“As Congress prepares to work with the administration on an infrastructure package, we welcome the opportunity to explore provisions to strengthen Buy America and Buy American laws,” the letter states. “To inform our work, we ask that you share with the committee on Transportation and Infrastructure the assessments you have received and the reports you have submitted, or are preparing to submit, to the president pursuant to the EO and the memorandum.”
Additionally, in a presidential memorandum issued in January, Trump called for the construction of new, retrofitted, repaired or expanded pipelines with materials and equipment produced in the United States. The commerce secretary was directed to draft a plan to ensure domestic sourcing of pipeline construction materials by July 23.
“We have long been proponents of strengthening Buy America and Buy American laws, to ensure that the funds that the federal government invests in transportation and infrastructure projects use iron, steel, and goods produced in the United States to the maximum extent possible,” the letter stated. “…Similarly, we strongly supported language to promote additional transparency in the sourcing of materials in the construction of the nation’s civil works projects in the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, and were strong advocates for including American iron and steel protections in the implementation of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.”