ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Releases Final Guidance to Bolster American-Made Goods in Federal Infrastructure Projects

Today, the Biden Harris Administration released its final guidance supporting implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's (BIL) statutory requirement that products used in federally funded infrastructure projects are Made in America - a key pillar of Bidenomics, which is investing in America and driving a manufacturing and clean energy boom. Please see below a statement from Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, a blog post from Made in American Director Livia Shmavonian, and a statement from The United Steelworkers union on today's guidance below.

Statement from Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator:

"When President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it represented a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation's infrastructure. Reversing decades of past policy, President Biden also saw it as a historic opportunity to invest in American industry and workers by strengthening Made in America standards. This new guidance helps make sure that when we're building this infrastructure—from roads and bridges to clean energy and high-speed internet—we're using American goods made by American workers. We know the President's Investing in America agenda working, because we already have receipts: over 13.4 million jobs have been created, and over 800,000 of them are in manufacturing. The private sector has announced over $500 billion in new manufacturing and clean energy investments, including in areas driven by our public investment tied to Made in America policies such as EV charging, fiber optic cable and electronics for high-speed internet deployment, water parts for lead pipe replacement and more. The President is expanding opportunity and investing in America—that's what Bidenomics is all about."

Biden-Harris Administration Releases Final Guidance to Bolster American-Made Goods in Federal Infrastructure Projects
[Livia Shmavonian, 8/14/23]

President Biden's Investing in America agenda is driving a manufacturing and clean energy boom, rebuilding America's infrastructure, lowering costs, and creating good-paying jobs. His plan—Bidenomics—is rooted in the recognition that the best way to grow the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up. This includes rebuilding our roads and bridges using Made in America materials, built by workers across America. And it's transforming our country for the better – reaching communities in every corner of the United States, including those that have too often been left behind.

During the State of the Union address, President Biden committed to ensuring construction materials used in federally funded infrastructure projects are made in America. Today, delivering on the President's commitments, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released final guidance to boost the use of American-made goods in infrastructure projects — which will bolster American businesses, workers, and economic growth.

The final guidance will support implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's (BIL) statutory requirements that manufactured products, construction materials, and iron and steel used in federally funded infrastructure projects are Made in America. It also sets forth these standards for construction materials while serving as a guide to agencies in using taxpayer dollars to strengthen our economy by supporting the creation of good jobs in both construction and manufacturing by expanding domestic production through infrastructure investment.

When President Biden signed the BIL, it represented a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation's infrastructure, creating a historic opportunity to invest in American industry and workers by strengthening Made in America standards. The law, which includes the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA), significantly expanded these standards to require that federally funded infrastructure projects use American-made iron, steel, construction materials, and manufactured products. That means taxpayer dollars funding our country's infrastructure projects are invested back in American jobs and manufacturing.
Since the bill's passage, the Biden-Harris Administration has made significant progress rebuilding our roads and bridges, making public transportation accessible, investing in clean infrastructure, upgrading power grids to transmit clean energy, and more – with 37,000 projects funded and counting already. And we're seeing the results. Since the President took office, over 13 million new jobs have been created, including 800,000 new manufacturing jobs nationwide. More than a half a trillion dollars in outside private investment has been made in manufacturing and clean energy, which is already helping grow our economy. The factory construction of today means manufacturing jobs for tomorrow and, currently, spending on construction of manufacturing plants has nearly doubled in the last two years after growing only two percent during the previous four years.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are spurring investments across the country – and thanks to the Build America Buy America Act we're not simply buying those products, we're making them here at home.

For additional information on this final guidance, click here.

Final Guidance text available here.

The United Steelworkers Union (USW): Build America, Buy America Critical to Creating Good Jobs
[8/14/23]

Pittsburgh – The United Steelworkers union (USW), released the following statement today from USW International President Tom Conway in response to the Biden administration's release of guidance to support implementation of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) provisions of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

"The USW is pleased to see the Biden administration move forward with implementation of BABA, which requires that all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in infrastructure projects are produced in the United States. Strong BABA implementation is a critical step toward reshoring lost industrial capabilities, strengthening broken supply chains, and establishing the United States as a leader in the manufacturing of new technologies. By promoting investment in domestic manufacturing, Buy America policies ensure that taxpayer-funded investments align with the highest labor and environmental standards in the world. The union is eager to review the details of the issued guidance as they are critical to the policy's success. The USW will continue to amplify our members' voices, and we look forward to remaining engaged in the process to ensure the full application of BABA. Through our members' hard work and dedication and strong Buy America policies, the USW can continue to supply our nation's critical infrastructure needs."

The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations.