Lawmakers Urge Buy American Mandate in Jobs Bill

(Reuters – Doug Palmer)

A proposed bill to help create new U.S. jobs should include strong “Buy American” provisions, even though that may be viewed as a protectionist move, two lawmakers said on Tuesday.

“If we are going to pass a strong job creation bill then it only makes sense to include strong Buy American provisions to further ensure that the jobs ... are created within the United States,” lawmakers Bruce Braley and Mike Michaud said in a letter to House of Representatives leaders. The lawmakers are the heads of two separates caucuses in the House aimed at keeping jobs in the United States.

Congress is mulling spending from $75 billion to $200 billion on projects to help put workers back on the job and bring the U.S. unemployment rate down from 10%. Read more here.