Rep. Mann, Real Estate Caucus Co-Chairs Increase American Home Building Efficiency

WASHINGTON, D.C.–U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01), alongside Real Estate Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Mark Alford (MO-04) and Lou Correa (CA-46), as well as Reps. Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), introduced the Build American Efficiency Act, legislation to help home builders and manufacturers more easily comply with Build America, Buy America requirements and build American homes faster.

“America needs more homes, not Washington red tape,” said Rep. Mann. “The Build American Efficiency Act is a commonsense bill that will help builders, manufacturers, and housing providers navigate complicated federal compliance requirements without sacrificing our commitment to American-made products. By allowing HUD to recognize auditable and verifiable systems that identify BABA-compliant materials, this bill will reduce unnecessary delays, cut down on waiver requests, and help get more homes built across the country.”

“I’m proud to join our Real Estate Caucus Co-Chairs in introducing the Build American Efficiency Act,” said Rep. Alford. “This commonsense bill will reduce regulatory burdens by making Buy America, Build America compliance easier for our home builders and manufacturers. This bill clarifies that HUD can recognize auditable, verifiable databases — like the Make It American Process Standard — to help document compliant American-made products. It does not mandate any database, but simply gives builders better tools so we can build more American homes faster with American products.”

“I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan bill to speed up the building of new homes,” said Rep. Correa. “By cutting red tape, this bill helps builders comply with federal requirements to use American-made construction materials. It will increase our housing supply and make it easier for Southern Californians and others across the nation to afford the American Dream.”

“Determining compliance in the Build America, Buy America (BABA) program often wastes valuable time submitting waivers and trying to determine approvals,” said Rep. Finstad. “The Build American Efficiency Act streamlines this process for our nation’s home builders and manufacturers, reducing costly delays, boosting efficiency, and helping build American homes faster. I’m proud to join Congressman Tracey Mannas an original cosponsor on this important legislation for our housing industry and those who build the spaces we call home.”

“We need commonsense solutions to tackle our nation’s housing shortage and bring costs down for working families,” said Rep. Johnny Olszewski. “The bipartisan Build American Efficiency Act will make it easier for builders and manufacturers to comply with federal requirements, reducing unnecessary delays and helping to build more homes, faster. This is a practical solution that uplifts American-made products and American workers.”

The Build American Efficiency Act would:

Clarify that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has the authority to recognize auditable and verifiable systems that document products that comply with Build America, Buy America domestic content requirements
Allow HUD to treat documentation generated under the Make It American Process Standard, or similar standards that provide an auditable and verifiable certification process, as sufficient evidence for domestic content certification
Help manufacturers, builders, and funding recipients more easily determine which products comply with BABA requirements
Reduce time spent navigating waiver requests, duplicative paperwork, and uncertainty over which products have or have not been approved
Preserve flexibility by ensuring the bill does not mandate the use of any one database or prohibit recipients from using other lawful methods to certify compliance.

The Build American Efficiency Act is supported by ABB, Associated General Contractors, Eaton, National Association of Electrical Distributors, National Association of Realtors, National Electrical Contractors Association, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Prysmian, Schneider, Siemens, and Southwire.

“In line with ABB’s local-for-local strategy, we applaud NEMA’s Make It American™ program and its commitment to providing credible, transparent compliance with the Build America, Buy America Act, allowing agencies to authorize infrastructure projects faster,” said Deni Miller, ABB Electrification Business Leader, U.S. “Representative Mann’s legislation highlights the strength of U.S. manufacturing and accelerates the adoption of American-made solutions that meet the highest standards for reliability and quality while bolstering our nation’s critical infrastructure.”

“We commend Congressman Mann for introducing the Build American Efficiency Act,” said Wes Smith, President and CEO of the National Association of Electrical Distributors. “The bill provides a commonsense approach to Build America, Buy America compliance by recognizing NEMA’s trusted, third-party certification process that manufacturers can use to demonstrate domestic content compliance for HUD-funded projects. Greater consistency and transparency in compliance requirements will help manufacturers, distributors, and contractors reduce administrative burdens, support domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and ensure federally funded projects can move forward more efficiently while continuing to prioritize American-made products.”

“With nearly $200 billion invested in domestic manufacturing since 2018, the U.S. electroindustry is leading the charge on reshoring manufacturing — and the Make It American^TM certification program reflects that commitment in action. Through rigorous, independent third-party audits, NEMA’s Make It American program gives U.S. manufacturers a credible, government-recognized pathway to demonstrate compliance with the Build America, Buy America Act’s domestic content requirements for federally funded projects,” said NEMA Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth and Membership Alexa Burr. “The Federal Highway Administration has already designated Make It American as an official compliance resource for federal-aid highway projects. Rep. Mann’s Build American Efficiency Act builds on that precedent by extending the same recognition to HUD-funded construction. By recognizing NEMA’s Make It American Process Standard and certification offerings — covering company, facility, and product-level verification — as sufficient evidence of BABA compliance, this legislation gives manufacturers a clear path forward, empowers contractors and project owners to identify qualifying products through the NEMA BABA Registry, and ensures American tax dollars are invested in American communities through American-made materials. We commend Rep. Mann for taking this step and look forward to working with Congress to continue expanding recognition of the Make It American program across every corner of federal funding and procurement.”

“Siemens is a proud participant of NEMA’s Make It American^TM program, which offers a transparent framework for companies to document compliance with Buy America Preference requirements and ensures accountability in the manufacturing process,” said Barry Powell, President, Siemens Smart Infrastructure Electrical Products North America, and Vice Chair, NEMA Board of Directors. “Representative Mann’s legislation marks a critical step in expanding recognition of the Make It American certification among federal agencies—and would help accelerate U.S. electrical manufacturing investment across the United States.”