Stakeholders to White House: Extend ‘Buy America’ Rules Waiver
Approximately 50 transportation groups are asking the Biden administration to extend the waiver for the Build America Buy America product and material requirements.
According to Transport Topics, “Material price increases have doubled or even tripled in some cases. Lead times for procurement and delivery of many of these materials has dramatically increased as well. And prospects for the rest of the year are worse. As a result, many infrastructure projects across the country face the risk of significant delay or a reduction in scope,” the groups wrote in June to Mitch Landrieu, senior adviser to President Joe Biden. Landrieu is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly referred to as the bipartisan infrastructure law.
“Rushing through this process could further drive inflation and result in significant delays to projects that will facilitate the enhanced movement of people and goods that, in turn, will help improve the nation’s constrained supply chain,” they added.