AISI Applauds Committee Passage of Bills to Ensure Taxpayer Funded Projects Use American Steel

WASHINGTON, DC-   Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), today issued the following statement in response to passage of key legislation by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC) to ensure the steel products purchased by the federal government with taxpayer funds are made in the United States:

“The measures passed today by the committee will help guarantee that steel used in federal projects is American-made. We applaud these initiatives to close critical loopholes in existing federal purchasing programs, increase public transparency to ensure accountability for the use of tax dollars for steel products and tighten up the waiver process to ensure foreign producers can’t evade existing Buy America requirements. The bills will also benefit the environment, as most foreign steel is produced with much higher carbon dioxide emissions than American steel.

“We thank the sponsors of these bills for their leadership and look forward to passage of the legislation by the full Senate soon. All iron and steel products procured with taxpayer dollars should be produced in the United States and enactment of these bills will go a long way toward achieving that goal.”

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Contact: Lisa Harrison

202.452.7115 / lharrison@steel.org

AISI serves as the voice of the American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI’s membership is comprised of integrated and electric arc furnace steelmakers, and associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org. Follow AISI on Facebook or Twitter (@AISISteel).