Amendment Recognizes NEMA’s Make It American Program

NEMA President and CEO Debra Phillips issued the following statement after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee incorporated bipartisan language recognizing NEMA’s Make It  American™  certification program into  H.R. 8870, the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act (BUILD America 250 Act):

“This is a major step toward establishing Make It American™ as a trusted compliance pathway for federally funded infrastructure projects — giving manufacturers, contractors, and public agencies greater clarity, consistency, and confidence in meeting domestic content requirements. This builds on the Federal Highway Administration’s designation of Make It American as an official resource to help manufacturers navigate federal domestic preference policies in October 2025.”

“America’s electrical manufacturers have invested nearly $200 billion in domestic production capacity since 2018 — a testament to the industry’s commitment to strengthening U.S. supply chains. Make It American was built to help manufacturers demonstrate that leadership: verifying compliance with Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements, streamlining documentation, and keeping critical infrastructure projects – and the American jobs behind them – on track.

“NEMA applauds Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Representatives Tracey Mann (R-KS), John Garamendi (D-CA), and Julia Brownley (D-CA) for their bipartisan leadership. Their work on the BUILD America 250 Act recognizes  what the FHWA has already affirmed: Make It American is a credible, practical tool for demonstrating domestic-content compliance.

“The BUILD America 250 Act represents a major investment in America’s infrastructure and manufacturing future, providing the long-term certainty manufacturers, contractors, and state DOTs need to plan and deliver critical transportation projects. At a time when the U.S. is strengthening supply chains and expanding domestic manufacturing, these bipartisan amendments help ensure federal infrastructure investments support greater use of American-made electrical products.”