Biden mandates U.S.-made steel and iron for infrastructure package spending

The Biden administration will issue guidance on Monday requiring materials used for infrastructure purposes be produced in the U.S., AP reported and a White House deputy press secretary confirmed.

State of play: Materials used for bridges, highways, water pipes and other structures must be sourced inside the United States if they are funded by the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.

• However, if there are not enough domestic producers or if the materials are too expensive, the requirement can be waived.

Details: "[S]tarting on May 14 'none of the funds' allocated to federal agencies for projects may be spent 'unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States,'" per AP.

What they're saying: "Another major step [the president] is taking to keep fueling the manufacturing resurgence we're seeing on his watch, and to bring more American jobs back from overseas," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates tweeted.

The big picture: Since the beginning of his administration, President Biden has focused on the idea that federal agencies and companies "buy American" for products and services in an effort to ease supply chains.

• Last November, the White House made plans to publicize all requests to waive the proposed rule to purchase U.S.-made products so that the public could scrutinize Biden's commitment to foster sales of domestic materials.