American Steel for American Infrastructure

Floor Speech

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Mr. FORTENBERRY. Madam Speaker, a long time ago, I made the decision to stand by the people who grow our food, protect our country, and make our stuff. Now, for a moment, if we could put aside the ever-expanding definition of infrastructure, I think we could agree on a basic principle: if we are going to ask American taxpayers to fund new American infrastructure, then we need to use American companies, American steel, and American labor.

It is especially important that American-made steel not be outsourced for fabrication to nations with lax environmental standards and lax labor standards. As this pandemic has so forcefully and painfully shown us, an overreliance on a foreign supply chain makes us vulnerable.

Madam Speaker, how about this: a ``Made in America'' label on all products used in American public works across the country. On that, perhaps, we can agree.

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