I’ve just joined the effort to strengthen Buy American rules to ensure that the iron, steel and manufactured goods that form the backbone of our transportation system are built in America.

The new Invest in American Jobs Act will help ensure that construction jobs for our new infrastructure projects are located right here in America. Shipping construction jobs to countries like China makes no sense, particularly in this economy. Countries around the world are doing everything they can to ensure that their manufacturers can succeed—sometimes even violating trade laws to do so.

Last month, I visited the USS-Posco plant in Pittsburg to discuss China’s manipulation of its currency and the impact that currency manipulation is having on our steelworkers. In the face of all this, it’s our duty to do what we can to support American industries and workers.

The Invest in American Jobs Act:

Strengthens existing Buy America requirements for investments in highway, bridge, public transit, rail, and aviation infrastructure and equipment to ensure that all of the steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in these projects is produced in the United States;
Applies Buy America requirements to other transportation and infrastructure investment, including rail infrastructure grants, loans, and loan guarantees, Clean Water State Revolving Fund grants, and Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants; and
Requires Federal agencies to justify any proposed waiver of the Buy America requirements and ensures that the American public has notice of and an opportunity to comment on any proposed waiver prior to it taking effect.

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These steps will not be a panacea. But we must do everything we can to create jobs and get this economy back on its feet, and passing this bill would be a good start.