A couple years ago, I took to this blog to remind then‐candidate Joe Biden of the numerous problems that “Buy American” laws, which require U.S.-origin materials in federal procurement projects, caused back when he was vice president and overseeing implementation of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s infrastructure projects. Taxpayer costs were high; projects were delayed (if not scuttled); and uncertainty reigned, eliciting numerous complaints from American companies and local officials trying to carry out the federal government’s plans.
My warning, unfortunately, was ignored by now‐President Biden, who has repeatedly trumpeted his efforts to insert Buy American mandates into major pieces of legislation and to tighten existing local content restrictions by executive order. But, as detailed in a recent Route 50 piece, his brushoff hasn’t stopped history from repeating itself …
AASHTO isn’t the only group complaining. The American Public Transportation Association, which represents transit agencies, recently told the Biden administration that, “[g]iven the current supply chain constraints, moving to all U.S.-sourced construction materials will inevitably lead to project sponsors paying a premium to meet [Buy American] requirements. The question then becomes whether the market/industry can absorb a doubling, tripling or even a quadrupling of costs for construction materials.”
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