Ryan, Duffy Bet Against American Workers Print
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Written by Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Brandon Weathersby   
Friday, 09 December 2016 14:27

paul-ryanTrump talked about putting American workers first, but Republicans in Congress dropped a "Buy America" provision from the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) that would have protected American industry and workers.

MADISON - While President-elect Trump campaigned on putting American workers first, Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans have a different idea in mind. This week, Speaker Ryan dropped a "Buy America" provision from the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA), a deal which was nearly finalized before Ryan axed the provision that would have protected American industry and workers.

duffyCommittee leaders had almost reached a deal on finalizing the WRDA, including the "Buy America" provision in which Sen. Tammy Baldwin was the lead Senate sponsor. Sen. Baldwin's “Buy American” standard would ensure that any water infrastructure projects associated with the WRDA would use American iron and steel. This standard passed the Senate with broad bipartisanship and is supported by the United Steelworkers Union and Wisconsin Manufacturers.

"Speaker Paul Ryan, Rep. Sean Duffy, and House Republicans are selling main street down-stream, and instead, are looking out for their corporate friends and wealthy special interests," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning said on Thursday. "If our new President-elect is truly going to put workers first, he should show it right now, and stand up to House Republicans who have put American jobs and manufacturers in jeopardy."