Logistics
May 20, 2026
AISI, SMA cheer BUILD America 250 Act as helping US steel industry
Written by Ethan Bernard
Steel trade groups have come out in support of the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act), saying it will increase demand for US-made steel.
The legislation’s purpose is to “authorize funding for federal-aid highways, bridge construction and rehabilitation, highway safety programs, transit programs and rail programs, and for other purposes,” according to the Build America 250 Act.
Both the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) praised the legislation in separate letters dated May 19 to Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and US Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.).
Graves is chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure while Larsen is a ranking member of the committee.
The legislation was introduced to the US House of Representatives on Tuesday and is now with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
AISI
Kevin Dempsey, AISI president and CEO, cheered the BUILD America 250 Act.
“This bipartisan legislation will reauthorize and make substantial investments in critical federal surface transportation programs that benefit the domestic steel industry and the overall national economy,” he said in AISI’s letter.
He noted The BUILD America 250 Act would extend and authorize $580 billion in funding over the next five years for key surface transportation infrastructure programs, including highways, bridges, railways, and mass transit.
“Importantly for the steel industry, the bill contains $45 billion of funding for bridge investments over five years, a 12% increase over prior law,” Dempsey said. “It also maintains strong Buy America requirements, ensuring that iron and steel materials procured for DOT (Department of Transportation) projects continue to be melted and poured in the United States.”
SMA
Likewise, SMA was in favor of the legislation.
“Significant, sustained federal infrastructure investment is integral to the success of the American steel industry,” SMA EVP Brandon Farris said in the group’s letter. “From rebar to critical safety structures, our nation’s steelmakers produce products that go into every facet of the roads, rails, and bridges that keep America moving.”
He said the BUILD America 250 Act will increase demand for domestically produced steel and support thousands of “good-paying American jobs.”
