The United States is in its biggest infrastructure moment since the Interstate Highway System. This construction spree will be a boon to American workers if we ensure that we’re building with domestic products. However, we are increasingly reliant on imports for the most fundamental building material—cement. That reliance threatens to undercut the building boom and weaken the foundation of American economic growth and job creation.
Too much of the cement under our roads and bridges comes from abroad -- often from overseas plants that are leakier, dirtier, and less safe than those here at home. While imports are attractive because they appear cheaper in the short term, that “cheap” price hides the true costs: higher global emissions, less accountability, and lost opportunities for American workers.
At a time when both parties champion reshoring manufacturing and rebuilding the middle class, it makes little sense to outsource the production of the material that literally supports our factories, warehouses, and logistics hubs. Cement is the backbone of construction, which is one of the most reliable engines of broad‑based job creation, yet U.S. cement production capacity is under significant pressure.
Plants have closed or delayed upgrades; and communities that once depended on these facilities for jobs now watch ships laden with foreign product enter our ports instead of railcars leaving, loaded with local clinker and cement. The ripple effects are felt throughout the supply chain: fewer orders for domestic limestone and aggregates; less work for American truckers and rail operators; and shrinking tax bases for the counties and school districts that rely on industrial property and payrolls. If we allow domestic cement production to wither while our infrastructure ambitions soar, we will find ourselves dangerously dependent on foreign suppliers for the materials necessary to keep our roads drivable and our economy humming.
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