Invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, Buy American

Show your support for a bold infrastructure investment that is Made in America

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 2, 2021) — Weeks after a winter storm wreaked deadly havoc across the state of Texas, many residents still lack clean drinking water. Meanwhile in Mississippi, some cities — primarily in Black and brown communities — have also been without water for weeks and are still facing dire infrastructure failures.

“This isn’t merely a Texas problem,” writes USW International President Tom Conway. “Failing infrastructure — from pothole-scarred roads and run-down bridges to aging utility lines and dilapidated water systems — poses just as big a threat to the rest of the country. Without a bold rebuilding campaign, Americans will continue to risk their well-being and livelihoods as the nation collapses around them.”

Right now, President Joe Biden and Congress are moving swiftly to provide Americans relief from the negative health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is a critically important effort.

The labor movement and business community are calling for a similar sense of urgency on a bold investment in the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. And the best way to create family-wage jobs and maximize the positive economic impact of that investment is to include Buy American preferences.

TAKE A STAND — The Alliance for American Manufacturing, a partnership between the United Steelworkers and some of America’s leading manufacturers, urges all to send a message to the Biden administration and your members of Congress to apply strong Buy America preferences to any infrastructure and clean energy investment package.

In addition to providing a desperately needed economic stimulus, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka points out that a big, bold infrastructure bill would be “a racial justice bill, a COVID safety bill and the most important climate bill of all time, all in one.”

Years of neglect have left America’s bridges, water systems, electrical grid, roads, railways, airports, schools, and more in terrible shape. We must get to work on rebuilding America’s infrastructure and doing so will will create millions of new jobs at a time they are desperately needed. But that won’t happen unless the future is Made in America.

President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order designed to strengthen Buy America, so when the federal government spends taxpayer dollars, it’s reinvested right back into American workers, businesses and communities. Simply put, Buy America supports American manufacturers and creates good jobs.

There’s bipartisan support for Buy America on Capitol Hill, and it is overwhelmingly popular with voters of all political persuasions. So after years of talking about infrastructure investment, now is the time to get the job done.

Send a message to the Biden administration and your members of Congress to approve a bold investment in U.S. infrastructure and clean energy and to apply strong Buy America preferences to it.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership formed in 2007 by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers. Its mission is to strengthen American manufacturing and create new private-sector jobs through smart public policies.