President Biden will sign an executive order on Monday to boost his “Buy America” efforts, after years of his predecessor’s “Buy America, hire America” initiatives.
The order, which the commander-in-chief will sign this afternoon, aims to increase national production, taking advantage of the purchasing power of the federal government and closing loopholes for companies that do business abroad.
If the nickname “Buy American” sounds familiar, it’s because President Donald Trump has signed several executive actions focusing on his “Buy American, Hire American” agenda that dates back to early 2017.
In April of that year, the 45th president signed an executive action encouraging federal agencies to buy iron, steel and manufactured products made in the United States.
Two years later, he signed two other actions, focused on encouraging the use of American-made materials in infrastructure projects financed by the federal government.
Executive orders are legally binding and, as a result, are published in the Federal Register. Executive actions, by contrast, are more often symbolic efforts to bring about change.
Trump’s directives encouraged new beneficiaries of grants and loans to use iron, steel, aluminum, cement and other manufactured products produced in the United States, but did not compel him.
What Biden will sign on Monday is an order, which will increase how much of a product must be made in the United States to qualify as made in America.
It will also create a website for Americans to see what contracts are being awarded to foreign suppliers and a position in the Budget and Management Office to implement the federal procurement effort.
The federal government spends about $ 600 billion annually on goods and services, which Biden officials hope the order will keep more in the United States.
Speaking to reporters on a phone call on Sunday, a senior Biden government official was pressured about the similarities in the “Buy American” message.
“The previous administration has issued numerous releases and orders. But, when you look at the result, there was no real material change in the way national content was measured, the rigidity of national content requirements or the use of exemptions for the Buy American clause, ”argued the official.
“So, you know, in practice, nothing happened.”
Still, Trump has repeatedly accused Biden of plagiarizing him during the election campaign for adopting the “Buy American” message.
In July last year, while the general election campaign was in full swing, Trump told reporters outside the White House that Biden “plagiarized with me, but he will never be able to do that. He likes to plagiarize. “
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