If America can’t build, then America can’t lead. It really is that simple. Throughout our country’s history, the United States has stayed ahead of the curve because we’ve been able to build.
Think factories, highways, ports, pipelines, power plants, and now even data centers — all of these innovations and developments have defined entire economic eras. From energy to telecommunications to manufacturing, American leadership has rested on our ability to move quickly from idea to execution. That capacity to build at scale is what allowed the U.S. to become and remain a global superpower.
Recommended Stories
Unfortunately, many of the biggest and best projects in America remain mired in the excess of our bureaucracies, burdened by red tape and approval delays. Congress has an opportunity to do something about it by passing meaningful permitting reform, making it easier for projects big and small to get built — and quickly. Republicans should make permitting reform a key priority when they return to Washington after the Easter break and deliver a win for President Donald Trump.
OPINION — PERMITTING REFORM: THE KEY TO UNLOCKING HOUSING AND ENERGY AFFORDABILITY
Already, our American advantage is slipping. If we cannot invest in major projects and develop at the pace demanded by a rapidly changing global economy, we will fall behind our allies and our adversaries alike. When it comes down to it, the world is not waiting for American permitting processes to catch up.
The problem has been stated time and time again: American projects are thwarted by excessive red tape and duplicative federal review processes that add years of delays and billions of dollars. Major infrastructure projects routinely exceed seven years in delays due to reviews. During that time, project costs skyrocket, inflation grows, and private investment is discouraged. The U.S. takes roughly 80% longer to permit industrial projects than other advanced economies. While we sit and wait for approval to build, the rest of the world moves forward.
These delays not only stall American innovation but also directly affect American taxpayers. Every federal agency that completes a duplicative review to get a project in motion is spending hard-earned American taxpayer dollars. Estimates suggest that as much as $2 trillion in GDP is unrealized because infrastructure projects are trapped in the federal permitting system.
There is widespread recognition, even in Washington, D.C., that reform is essential to fix this broken system. Earlier this year, Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) held a much-needed hearing in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to examine federal environmental review and permitting processes. In her opening remarks, she called this legislative session’s ability to pass permitting reform legislation a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” She’s right — there’s rarely a moment of bipartisan agreement. Because there is such unilateral support for permitting reform across Congress, the opportunity needs to be seized, and Republicans must act now.
For Trump and MAGA Republicans, permitting reform offers an opportunity to cement a legacy rooted in America First values and principles. Streamlining permitting would mean American manufacturing dominance, lower costs for families, abundant private investment, energy independence, American jobs, and less American tax dollars wasted on frivolous bureaucracy. These are all core tenets of the Make America Great Again base, and recognizing the correlation between permitting reform and an affordable America would demonstrate to the citizens standing behind these elected officials that they deliver on their promises.
OPINION: IRAN WAR EXPOSES STRATEGIC VULNERABILITY IN FRAGILE US ALUMINUM SUPPLY CHAIN
Unlike temporary regulatory actions that the next administration can reverse, permitting reform can have a lasting impact on how our nation grows. Once projects are built and contributing to our economic dominance, permitting reform becomes a legacy item. Passing permitting reform legislation would show Americans that Trump and MAGA Republicans didn’t just call for American strength; they delivered on restoring it.
Making America great again depends on America’s ability to build again.
Aiden Buzzetti is the President of the Bull Moose Project, an organization advocating populist conservatism in Washington, D.C.
