WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2026 — Common Sense America (CSA) President and Founder Steve Crim issued a statement following the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s release of the bipartisan Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act).
“The BUILD America 250 Act recognizes that unrivaled national infrastructure requires historic investments. However, this massive undertaking will be fundamentally compromised if Congress fails to secure the domestic supply chains necessary to build it.”
“With 45% of our bridges exceeding their 50-year design life, we cannot afford to rebuild our infrastructure with opaque imports that may not meet our standards. Foreign cement often lacks mill certifications or is shipped in substandard packaging, potentially putting projects at risk of higher costs or more frequent repairs. As the Committee considers this legislation, lawmakers must include robust domestic content and quality assurance requirements for cement, ensuring taxpayer dollars support our workers and manufacturers.
“A strong domestic cement industry creates a safer nation, and Congress can be a strong partner in this. Government agencies such as the Department of Transportation and federally funded projects are major drivers of procurement trends, and instituting policies that bolster the use of domestic cement can help ensure our nation’s roads and bridges are safely assembled using high-quality, verifiable U.S.-made materials. It’s time to institute supply chain preferences that contribute to American jobs, manufacturing, and infrastructure.”
American Foundations Letter to Committee Leadership
Earlier this year, American Foundations issued a letter to Congress outlining key priorities for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization. The letter emphasized that while robust funding is necessary, supply chain resilience cannot be achieved if domestic infrastructure projects remain reliant on foreign suppliers for foundational materials like cement. American Foundations continues to advocate for policies that protect the U.S. cement industry from predatory foreign overcapacity.
About American Foundations
American Foundations, a project of Common Sense America, is committed to ensuring that our nation’s infrastructure is built on strong, reliable cement — made right here at home. Learn more at: strongamericanfoundations.org.
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