Create Jobs, Buy American

Maryland has been in a better place than most states in this recession.  As Maryland climbs out of this job crisis, supporting common-sense measures that would put taxpayer dollars to work to create jobs here at home - instead of policies that reward companies that ship jobs overseas - should be a no-brainer.

That’s why I am proud to be supporting a the “Buy American Act,” a bill that would ensure that our public investments in infrastructure help create new jobs here at home for the millions of Marylanders still out of work through no fault of their own.

By requiring that publicly funded infrastructure projects use American-made products whenever possible, Buy American policies at the federal and state level have been proven successful for almost 80 years. That’s one reason why presidents from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama have supported versions of Buy American policies to help create jobs here at home, and why almost 9 in 10 Democrats and Republicans alike support the policy in recent polling. It’s also why more and more states across the nation, like Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Oregon, and West Virginia, are considering Buy American bills this year.

By ensuring that state tax dollars are spent on goods and services produced in the United States whenever possible, the Buy America Act will encourage companies to hire more workers in the United States and get Maryland economy back on track. 

Some recent highlights in this bill is that it was just recently passed in the West Virginia House of Representatives, the Georgia House Committee, and my Maryland Committee.

In order to rally support for the Buy American bill, we will be holding a press day in the near future where we would like to share with you the great benefits this bill will reap.