Baldwin calls upon GOP leaders to bolster domestic manufacturing jobs

Republican House leadership removed the Buy America amendment introduced by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Monday that was a part of a water infrastructure bill intended to protect domestic manufacturing jobs.

The Made in America Water Infrastructure Act, also known as the Buy America legislation, required U.S. water infrastructure projects to use only American-made iron and steel.

Sen. Baldwin included it into the Water Resources Development Act , which the Senate passed with a broad bipartisan support 95-3.

She claimed that by removing the Buy America rule, Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans were embracing the status quo in Washington.

“This is a failure by House leadership to make a solid commitment to American manufacturers and workers,” Baldwin said in a Tuesday statement. “American workers should build our infrastructure with American products and taxpayers' money should not be spent on Chinese or Russian iron and steel.”

Baldwin also called upon President-elect Donald Trump to take action against the removal effort by Ryan and Congressional Republicans.

Baldwin joined 25 senators in sending a letter to House and Senate leaders to call for putting the provision back into the final bill.

Baldwin’s reform was supported by United Steelworkers union and Wisconsin manufacturers in iron and steel industry supply chain, including Neenah Foundry, according to a statement.

Baldwin and Senators Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced Tuesday that they would reintroduce the Buy America amendment to the WRDA in the Senate.

They called on Republican leaders to reinsert the rule or schedule an immediate vote on the amendment.

Emily Biersdorf, president of Working Class Students Union, said she regarded Buy America as an important act to prevent outsourcing, keep jobs in America and strengthen the economy, which coincides with the historical working class culture. She appreciated that Baldwin emphasized the need for leadership’s commitment to American infrastructure, manufacturers and workers.

“It is potentially impacting students once they graduate and go on to different jobs,” Biersdorf said. “A lot of members have parents who are working or will go on to be working, and I think it is important because we need to be investing in American workers and American companies right now.”

Biersdorf also explained that she believed that politicians should follow their promises and pay attention to the needs of the country’s citizens.

“They are voted to represent the interest of the people who voted for them, not to represent the interest of really big corporations or international companies,” Biersdorf said.