U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly called for the restoration of a ‘Buy America’ provision in the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), to require projects funded by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to be built with American-made iron and steel products. The ‘Buy America’ requirement was included in the Senate-passed version of the bill with broad bipartisan support, but was reportedly stripped from the compromise package negotiated by leaders in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Donnelly and his colleagues have asked leadership to put the provision back into the final bill to support U.S. steel and iron workers and manufacturers.
In the letter to Senate and House leadership, Donnelly and his colleagues wrote, “…Buy America is an important job-creating provision. If subject to the Buy America provisions, DWSRF-funded infrastructure projects will be required to use American iron and steel. As a result, companies will have incentives to invest in domestic manufacturing facilities, and U.S. taxpayer dollars will support American manufacturers…”
“…The American people spoke clearly in this past election that they want leaders who fight for the working class and who advance policies that create more jobs and grow the U.S. manufacturing sector. We urge you to heed their voices in the WRDA negotiations and ensure the DWSRF Buy America provisions are incorporated in the final bill.”
You can download a copy of the letter here. Full text is available below.
December 2, 2016
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader Democratic Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Paul Ryan The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the Democratic Leader
House of Representatives House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Democratic Leader Reid, Speaker Ryan, and Democratic Leader Pelosi:
We write to express our concern that an important Buy America provision for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) has been struck from the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) conference report to be considered by the House and Senate. This provision (Section 7117 of S. 2848) was approved by the Senate with broad bipartisan support, and we urge you to ensure that it is included in the final WRDA bill.
Section 7117 of the Senate bill would codify the Buy America procurement preference for American-made iron and steel products that has been applied to the DWSRF for many years through annual appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The language would ensure that the DWSRF is subject to the same Buy America policies permanently applied to the EPA’s other federal-aid water infrastructure spending programs, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program.
Buy America is an important job-creating provision. If subject to the Buy America provisions, DWSRF-funded infrastructure projects will be required to use American iron and steel. As a result, companies will have incentives to invest in domestic manufacturing facilities, and U.S. taxpayer dollars will support American manufacturers.
Removing the Buy America provisions from the DWSRF will have the opposite effect. Without domestic content requirements, foreign companies will reap the advantages of U.S. taxpayer spending at the expense of taxpaying U.S. iron and steel producers and workers across the country. An opportunity to support and grow U.S. manufacturers will be squandered.
The American people spoke clearly in this past election that they want leaders who fight for the working class and who advance policies that create more jobs and grow the U.S. manufacturing sector. We urge you to heed their voices in the WRDA negotiations and ensure the DWSRF Buy America provisions are incorporated in the final bill.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and 24 colleagues
