Biden Announces New Requirements for Government Infrastructure Purchases

Biden Announces New Requirements for Government Infrastructure Purchases

(RightWing.org) – On February 7, President Joe Biden stood up before a joint session of Congress to deliver the 2023 version of the State of the Union Address (SOTU). That event was broadcast around the world and made many claims and promises that will keep “fact-checkers” busy.

He then announced that as a part of the Democrat’s “Bipartisan” $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Plan, he was “announcing new standards” that all federal projects would be using materials made in America, such as “American-made lumber, glass, drywall, [and] fiber optic cables.” But what does that really mean?

Made in America-ish

As Right Wing journalists previously reported, the law includes enough loopholes and twists to make even the most enthusiastic roller coaster fanatics lose their lunches. When one looks at the regulations put in place by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that should define for people what they get when they see a “Made in the USA (America)” label on something, it isn’t much help.

In trying to clear that up (which is not a strong suit of Washington, DC bureaucracies), the FTC says, “all significant parts, processing [sic] and labor that go into the product must be of US origin.” The current rule in place acknowledges that there is no “‘bright line’ to establish when a product is or is not” In compliance with that standard.

However, turning to the White House website can shed some light on what Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expect it to mean with the March 4, 2022, announcement of a new administration rule that provides their expectation of the “domestic content threshold” for products to be considered Made in America.

  • At that time, 55% was acceptable
  • Currently 60%
  • 65% in 2024
  • 75% by 2029

Assuming that Biden’s promise will apply to the Democrat’s expanded definition of infrastructure that goes well beyond traditional to include many Green New Deal projects, one needs to consider the entire $1.2 trillion spending package. If the full 65% tier were to be applied immediately, which is somewhat generous, that would mean $420 billion could still be sent to foreign companies.

Considering the state of the roads and bridges in America and adding in all the other items on the Progressive wish list included in the spending bill, it is unlikely that this will be the only money poured into it. So it seems that Biden’s stirring soundbite about his rock-solid commitment to American business is more sandstone than granite.

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