U.S. Member of Congress John Garamendi (D-CA) and California Assembly Member Luis Alejo (D-Salinas, CA) are urging San Francisco Bay Area transit officials to buy American-made when considering contracts for a new fleet of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) cars.
                       
Garamendi says the BART Board of Directors will decide soon on the details of a multi-billion-dollar contract for new subway cars. Citing a CalTrans' decision to use Chinese steel in the construction of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge, Garamendi hopes that BART will utilize American-made subway cars, and support domestic American manufacturers and their workers.

Garamendi and Alejo are holding a press conference today overlooking the Bay Bridge to press their case for Buy American.  The two lawmakers say they do not want to see a repeat of the CalTrans' decisions, and have chosen to cite the Alliance for American Manufacturing’s (AAM) recent "Should Be Made in America" billboard campaign, which emphasized the outsourcing of the Bay Bridge's center span to China.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) commends Congressman John Garamendi and Assembly Member Luis Alejo for supporting Buy America preferences and for pushing BART to maximize the amount of domestic content in its new fleet of cars.

Said AAM Executive Director Scott Paul: "Americans understandably want their tax dollars to be reinvested here at home by giving a common sense preference to American-made steel and other manufactured goods. The outsourcing of the Bay Bridge was simply unacceptable and a repeating this in upcoming infrastructure investments will undoubtedly have ramifications for those making the decisions to send tax dollars and jobs overseas. It is our hope that BART will make every effort to maximize the amount of domestic content in its new fleet of cars. We appreciate the efforts of Congressman Garamendi and Assembly Member Alejo to keep a watchful eye."

Rep. Garamendi is the author of the "Airports, Highways, Trains and Transit: Make it in America Act" (H.R. 613), which would set stronger domestic content standards for goods and equipment purchased with federal dollars for airports, highways, trains and transit.

Assemblymember Alejo is the author of the "Bring Manufacturing Jobs Back to California Act" (A.B. 1543), which would require California’s tax dollars to use American-made goods and services in public contracts.