President Joe Biden announced he would require that government infrastructure projects utilize American-made products.
The president’s comments came during his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7.
Despite seeming to indicate disagreement on some issues, both Republicans and Democrats applauded when Biden announced the new standards to require the construction materials to be sourced from the United States.
The push to use American materials is one part of the plan announced by Biden to strengthen the economy.
“Tonight, I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. American-made lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cables,” Biden said about 18 minutes into his speech.
“On my watch, American roads, American bridges, and American highways will be made with American products.”
During his comments, Biden touted his administration’s work to increase jobs and assist in economic growth: “Two years ago, our economy was reeling. As I stand here tonight, we have created a record 12 million new jobs—more jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years. Two years ago, COVID had shut down our businesses, closed our schools, and robbed us of so much.”
The president asserted that he has an economic plan that is about “investing in places and people that have been forgotten.”
Biden went on: “Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible. That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives.”
