Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
Senator Brown with the iron pellets that will make the steel to rebuild Ohio bridges and infrastructure.
TOLEDO, OH – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Cleveland-Cliffs leaders and United Steelworkers at Cleveland-Cliffs’ Toledo Direct Reduction plant to discuss the Buy America protections he secured in the bipartisan infrastructure plan.
“This week I’ve traveled all over the state to hear from local leaders about the investments they’re going to make because of the bipartisan infrastructure plan, and what’s so exciting is these projects are going to be built with American steel, made by American steelworkers,” said Brown. “These are the strongest Buy America rules ever passed, and they’re going to mean more work for USW workers here at Cleveland-Cliffs.”
Brown was joined at the event by Patrick Gallagher, USW District 1 Sub-District Director and Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, before taking a tour of the facility.
“We want to thank Senator Brown for his years of support for American manufacturing and American workers. This infrastructure bill is an example of how we can support workers and companies in this country. We also want to thank Cleveland-Cliffs for making this historic investment in Toledo and their commitment to revitalizing American manufacturing,” said the United Steel Workers.
“Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest producer of flat-rolled steel in North America. Many of the steel products we produce directly support American infrastructure, including steel for bridges, transit systems, ships, rail cars, power transformers and electric motors, among numerous other applications,” said Mr. Goncalves. “Cleveland-Cliffs applauds Senator Brown’s initiative to ensure that all taxpayer dollars invested in infrastructure support American companies and good paying, middle class, union jobs.”
Brown first introduced his bipartisan Build America Buy America legislation in 2017 and fought to include it in the bipartisan infrastructure plan. The Buy America protections will ensure American taxpayer dollars are used to purchase American-made products for all federally funded infrastructure projects – closing loopholes and securing major investment in American-made iron, steel, and manufactured products.
Brown’s legislation will implement Buy America rules across the board meaning American workers and manufacturers will be first in line to benefit from infrastructure investments.
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