The Capitol Line

AISI Works with House Steel Caucus on Revitalizing Manufacturing Agenda

With the Administration’s release of its Manufacturing Framework in December and Congress and the Administration’s focus on jobs in 2010, AISI has been working with the House Steel Caucus Co-Chairs to highlight the key role that the steel industry can play in reviving manufacturing, creating jobs and to the overall economic recovery of the U.S. This led to the scheduling of a House Steel Caucus hearing originally set for February 10, 2010. Unfortunately, the hearing had to be postponed due to the snow storm in DC. The hearing will be rescheduled at a date and time to be determined.

Fair Currency Coalition Hosts House Staff Briefing

In December, AISI, as a part of the Fair Currency Coalition, hosted a House staff briefing on currency issues. The briefing provided staff with an explanation of how China manipulates its currency and what the Ryan/Murphy Fair Currency legislation would do to address the problem. Staff from roughly 25 offices were in attendance, in addition to representatives from the textile and steel industries and from the USW.

AISI President Congratulates Nicole Lamb-Hale on Confirmation as the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services

“Given Ms. Lamb-Hale’s experiences living and working in Detroit, I am sure she can attest that steel and other manufacturing industries are the backbone of our economy,” said Tom Gibson, AISI President and CEO. “As the DOC’s Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services, Ms. Lamb-Hale will be the lead advocate for U.S. industry, and I welcome the opportunity to work with her on ways in which the Administration can work with industry to advance manufacturing in the U.S.”

AISI Highlights Priorities for Jobs Package to Administration and Congress

Prior to House passage of its jobs bill, AISI worked with the House Steel Caucus to identify steel industry priorities for jobs legislation, with a particular focus on increased infrastructure spending and the need for Congress to pass a six year surface transportation authorization bill as soon as possible.

The House took action in mid-December on their jobs package which totaled $174 billion including $20 billion to keep the highway trust fund solvent through 2011. The bill provided for the extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits in addition to funding for infrastructure and funds to states for various programs. Of the $75 billion for infrastructure, $27.5 billion is for highways, $8.4 billion for public transportation, $2 billion for water infrastructure, $2 billion for energy infrastructure, $800 million for Amtrak, $715 million for Army Corps., $500 million for airports and $100 million for shipbuilding. The bill also included some of the Buy America (BA) language AISI has been advocating for inclusion in the surface transportation authorization. The two Buy America provisions in the House jobs bill would expand the waiver transparency process currently used by Federal Highway Administration to the Federal Transit Administration and the other would ensure that projects won’t be able to circumvent BA requirements by segmenting a project like what was done with the Bay Bridge.

The House package narrowly passed on a vote of 217-212.

In the Senate, the leadership is continuing to work on a jobs package and the details remain fluid. However, AISI has met with Senate staff to advocate for a jobs package that includes infrastructure funding that can be used for major infrastructure projects that are steel intensive, like bridge repair or major rehabilitation and the Buy America provisions that were included in the House jobs bill.

AISI organized and is leading a bridge coalition consisting of Portland Cement Association, the American Council of Engineering Companies and the USW to advocate for a set aside within the jobs bill infrastructure funding specifically for major bridge rehabilitation and bridge replacement. Given that one-fourth of all federal highway bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, setting aside funding specifically for bridge repair and replacement will serve an important public policy need for improving the safety and well being of the nation’s citizens, as well as create increased demand for steel and other basic manufactured goods, thereby creating additional good-paying jobs.

Check Out AISI's Public Policy Efforts on the Web

AISI's Public Policy Homepage

AISI's Legislative Action Center

For more information on these Web sites, contact Beth DeBrosse.

If you have any questions regarding AISI public policy issues, please feel free to contact any member of the Public Policy Team: