Braley encourages Buy America provisions in jobs bill

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is encouraging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to include strong Buy American provisions in any job creation bills.

Braley, a Waterloo Democrat and chairman of the Populist Caucus, and House Trade Working Group Chairman Mike Michaud, D-Maine, made their case in a letter to the House leaders.

“As America has suffered the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, unemployment has risen and is now around 10 percent,” they wrote. “We believe that the shipment of American jobs overseas is a factor in this rising unemployment. If we are going to pass a strong job creation bill then it only makes sense to include strong Buy American provisions, to further ensure that the jobs created as a result of this legislation are created within the United States.”

Earlier, First District Rep. Braley and 18 other members of the Populist Caucus sent a letter to House leadership to encourage them to pass a comprehensive jobs bill that expands the infrastructure investments previously made as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.