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Buy American, Hire American

AISC, SFNE, NESDA and others are supporting a “Buy American, Hire American” initiative with regard to taxpayer funded infrastructure projects.

While this discussion often focuses on material and fabricator choices, it is important to keep in mind that steel detailers are an integral part of the American steel industry.

If we truly want to support American labor, then we should support it throughout the life cycle of the project.  It is inconsistent to require locally-sourced material, yet detail the job in Malaysia.

Please write to your representatives in support of American steel detailers being included in the Buy American, Hire American initiative.

You can find your representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/, and your senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/.

The initiative is described below.
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U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) and other House members published a letter to the incoming Trump Administration pledging their assistance in the development of its “Buy American, Hire American” initiative. Buy American laws provide a preference to domestically-produced goods and services in federal procurement, such as investments in public infrastructure.
“When American taxpayer dollars are being spent, an effort should be made to spend those in support of American workers,” said Bost.  “As we grow our economy and rehabilitate our nation’s infrastructure, more must be done to ensure that Buy American preference laws are applied to these projects.”
Bost’s effort was supported by the American Institute of Steel Construction, the National Steel Bridge Alliance, U.S. Steel, the Alliance for American Manufacturing and more than a dozen iron and steel companies and associations representing steel manufacturers and fabricators.

Rodney Davis (R-IL) and John Delaney (D-MD) also are co-sponsors of the Partnership to Build America Act, which seeks to create a fund to provide financing to state and local governments for new infrastructure projects.

AISC and NSBA represent nearly 1,000 domestic steel fabricators, service centers, and mills as well as hundreds of erectors. Combined, the U.S. fabricated structural steel industry employs more than 160,000 American workers.
“It’s important that tax money is used to support American workers and American businesses,” stated Charles J. Carter, AISC’s president. “We urge everyone involved in the construction industry to contact their representatives and express their support of the ‘Buy American, Hire American’ initiative.”

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