OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act--Continued

Floor Speech

Date: March 13, 2012
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation

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Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, our amendment requires DOT to report annually on waivers, including analysis of taxpayer dollars that are spent on foreign materials and infrastructure. It closes a loophole that currently exists that allows the project to be split into several pieces, thus evading ``Buy American'' requirements.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is the most outrageous example of that. The $6 billion project was divided into 20 separate construction contracts, resulting in a Chinese-owned company building a 520-foot steel tower and 28 steel bridge decks. That was not what this was meant to do.

It is modeled on language House Republicans passed. It is consistent with our international trade obligations.

I yield the remainder of my time to Senator Merkley, a cosponsor.

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