By not purchasing materials made in the U.S. for projects that receive federal financial assistance, infrastructure contractors reportedly have left as much as $45 billion of sales for American manufacturers on the table, according to the Federal News Network. Each year, the federal government provides $700 billion of financial assistance in some form to more than 40,000 non-federal recipients, Peter Navarro, director of trade and industrial policy at the White House, told reporters in a telephone briefing about the president’s order.
Those who have direct contracts with federal agencies already have to adhere to existing Buy American Act regulations unless the project receives a waiver.