The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has reiterated its concerns over the impact of the "Build America, Buy America" rules on infrastructure projects. In a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget, AASHTO expressed concern over the new rules and their potential impact on the 2023 transportation construction season.

 
The group also called for further market-based research before any expansion of the coverage of the requirements is implemented. AASHTO emphasized that the transportation industry was already experiencing material and product delivery delays, and that the range of materials referenced within the law is extremely broad. Some materials, AASHTO noted, could be interpreted as "manufactured products" and vice versa, leading to inconsistencies and inefficiencies across the country with respect to the implementation of the requirements. Therefore, the group called for additional clarification and stated that any changes proposed in the process or requirements should not be implemented until at least the 2024 construction season or possibly later.



"AASHTO strongly opposes any expansion of the coverage of these requirements until further market-based research is conducted to determine the availability of American-made goods in the broad cross-section of materials already covered by the existing requirements," the group said in its letter. "Thus any changes proposed in the process or requirements should not be implemented until at least the 2024 construction season [or] possibly later."

https://aashtojournal.org/2023/03/17/aashto-reiterates-concern-over-buy-america-rules/