America First is more than a matter of policy—it is a matter of industrial muscle. For too long, America’s manufacturing industry has dwindled while the creation of new, innovative infrastructure to support our nation has stalled. Now more than ever, we must put America first in how we build, starting with the strategic resources that underpin our entire economy.
When I served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, I increased U.S. exports to Denmark. We achieved this by championing fair policies that strengthened our industrial base and bolstered the domestic economy. Yet we keep falling into the same trap, outsourcing the production of key industrial inputs to foreign powers—eroding our economic sovereignty and relinquishing control over essential materials needed to construct American infrastructure.
We cannot allow this to happen with cement. As the bedrock of our nation, cement fuels every infrastructure project, large and small, from local schools and hospitals to major highways and airports. Right now, U.S. cement production is on the decline, leaving us at the mercy of opaque imports from Turkey and Vietnam. Not only does that reliance expose us to potential shortages, but it also raises serious national security concerns.
Keeping America safe means having the capacity to build and repair essential infrastructure on our own timetable. That means not letting unreliable products from abroad hold up timely projects, and instead using high-quality domestically made cement when we need to rebuild our communities after a natural disaster, create new ports to boost American commerce, or construct new military installations to keep our nation safe.
To build world-class infrastructure and secure our country, we must ensure policies across every level of government, from federal permitting requirements to local regulations, are aligned to create an environment that allows us to produce the cement we need, when we need it. While the impact of local policies on our manufacturing capacity may not be obvious, burdensome regulatory hurdles can quietly stifle it.
In my home state of Pennsylvania, where thousands of manufacturing jobs have been lost since the 1990s, cement production is a major boon to the state economy, generating $4.76 billion in economic contributions each year and supporting the employment of over 6,000 workers. Multiply that across the 30-plus states where cement is produced, and you have an industry that creates upwards of $150 billion in annual economic impact and supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs.
For over two decades, the American factory floor has been hollowed out. This decline will only accelerate if we continue our reliance on foreign materials from nations that do not have our interests at heart. To regain America’s competitive edge and industrial spirit, we must advocate for targeted policies that prioritize American cement manufacturers.
A great first step is to ensure that Buy America policies for projects receiving federal funding include requirements for high-quality domestically manufactured cement and cementitious materials. Furthermore, the federal government must also designate cement for what it is: a critical national security resource, essential for both natural disaster response and long-term preparedness.
As President Trump ushers in the Golden Age of America and oversees the largest infrastructure boom in nearly a century, we must ensure that our future is built on materials we can trust.
To succeed, we must pair an ambitious infrastructure agenda with serious commitments to American manufacturing that puts our workers, companies, and communities first. As our nation gathers to celebrate its 250th anniversary this summer, let’s ensure that when the next bridge rises or the next highway is paved, it is created with American materials, something we can all be proud of.
Carla Sands served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands from 2017-2021.