Tammy Baldwin reintroduces 'Buy America' legislation

NEENAH - Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is looking for support from President Trump for a bill that would require American manufacturers be used for certain public projects.

It's a proposal that did not survive the last session, but one the Wisconsin senator said she hopes will gain new momentum.

"I'm going to try to enlist the help of the president on this," Baldwin told reporters during a press conference Friday afternoon at Neenah Foundry. "... If this is an area of common ground, I hope that that will help in terms of getting these policies over the finish line."

BALDWIN: Workers need Buy America commitment

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Baldwin came to the Neenah Foundry on Friday to reintroduce the "Buy America" bill, which was part of a water infrastructure bill that was taken up last fall, and to talk with workers. One of the workers, Roddy Rice, recently was a guest of Baldwin's at Trump's joint address to Congress in February.

"This is incredibly essential for the vibrancy, in particular, the government work, that Neenah Foundry does," Baldwin said. "If we choose as a nation or local communities to spend taxpayer dollars on foreign-made products, it's hugely harmful to companies like Neenah Foundry."

Trump has advocated publicly for a $1 trillion infrastructure bill with two principles he mentioned in his joint address — buy American and hire American. In response, Baldwin has written open letters to Trump advocating that he support her legislation to ensure that only American manufacturers be used for water infrastructure projects.

In the last session, the water infrastructure bill was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate in September. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson also supported the bill. But the "Buy America" provision that Baldwin pushed was struck from the final bill before approval in the House. Sources told reporters from the Wall Street Journal and The Hill that the provision was taken out by House Republican leadership.

On Friday, Baldwin said she has had good conversations with Republican lawmakers about sponsoring her bill, but it does not have a Republican co-sponsor as of now.

Baldwin is a top target for state Republicans hoping to take her Senate seat in the 2018 elections, and Republicans argue that Baldwin continually shows "support for job-killing regulations."

"This is typical sleight of hand from an elite Washington insider like Senator Baldwin," wrote GOP spokesman Alex Zimmerman in an email to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin on her "Buy America" legislation. "... It's going to take much more than this to correct the two decades of damage Senator Baldwin has done from Washington to Wisconsin's hardworking families."

Madeleine Behr: 920-996-7226, or mbehr@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @madeleinebehr