Democrats Trap Trump And Turn The Tables On Republicans With Buy American Amendment

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:39 pm

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After Republicans had announced that they were removing the Buy American amendment from the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the three Democratic senators announced that they would be introducing the amendment back into the final version of the bill.

Sen. Baldwin said, “By removing my Buy America standard, Speaker Ryan and House Republicans embraced the status-quo in Washington. Our American manufacturers and workers deserve a solid commitment from us and I’m not giving up this fight to build a made in America infrastructure. The choice for the Republican establishment in Washington is clear: Do you stand with American workers or do you support spending taxpayer dollars on Chinese and Russian steel for American water infrastructure projects?”

Donald Trump ran his presidential campaign on a promise to make America great again, but Republicans in Congress are trying to pass a bill that would allow government contractors who are taking US taxpayer money to use imported goods.

Sen. Brown added that Republicans are failing on Trump’s promise to put America first, “American tax dollars should go toward American-made steel that supports American jobs, and that’s what we are fighting for. This was the first major test for President-elect Trump’s promises to put America first and it failed because Washington establishment Republicans chose China and Russia over Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. While President-elect Trump remains silent, we will continue to fight for American jobs.”

It isn’t a coincidence that two of the three senators who are championing this amendment represent the recount states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Sen. Casey accused Republicans of blowing hot air towards American workers, “Removing Buy America from this legislation will undermine our workers and make it harder for businesses who do want to create jobs at home. Congressional Republicans should stop blowing hot air about their claims to support workers and actually do something that will- reinsert Buy America into this bill.”

Republicans and Trump opened this door with their big promises to American workers, and it is the Democrats who are holding GOP feet to the fire. If Republicans fail to deliver for US workers or continue to behave hypocritically, Democrats are going to be there to call them out on it.

Democrats can turn a source of angst about their status with white working class voters into a strength by holding Republicans accountable and actually fighting for what Trump was campaigning on. Republicans are telegraphing that Trump’s campaign rhetoric was an empty promise, and they are setting a trap for the new president and Republican Congressional majority that could pay dividends in elections to come.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association