Peter Navarro: Trump is keeping his promise to buy American, hire American

World 10:36 01.02.2019

In his inauguration speech, President Trump promised: “We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.” The president will sign an executive order Thursday – titled “Strengthening Buy American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects” – that will further bolster these key pillars of his economic program.

Each year, more than 30 federal agencies award over $700 billion in federal financial assistance to more than 40,000 non-federal recipient organizations. This assistance comes in the form of loans, loan guarantees, grants, cooperative agreements, insurance and interest subsidies.

A more granular look at this federal financial assistance reveals that billions of taxpayer dollars fall through possible gaps in Buy American coverage.

Consider that, in the 2016 fiscal year, of the 265 listings in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance for infrastructure or construction projects, more than 200 did not require Buy American considerations. These projects across 14 different agencies added up to over $45 billion of expenditures.

The Buy American executive order the president will sign Thursday will make progress in closing potential gaps in coverage.

This new executive order directs the head of each executive department and agency administering a covered program to “encourage recipients of new Federal financial assistance awards to use, to the greatest extent practicable, iron and aluminum as well as, steel, cement, and other manufactured products produced in the United States in every contract, subcontract, purchase order, or sub‑award that is chargeable against such Federal financial assistance award.”

The types of infrastructure potentially covered run the gamut from bridges, water infrastructure, and sewer systems to broadband Internet and cybersecurity.

By extending Buy American principles to more federal financial assistance programs, this new executive order further reinforces the Trump administration’s Buy American preferences. When taxpayer-funded spending is used to Buy American, Americans can reap the benefits in three ways.

First, Buy American programs create good manufacturing jobs at good wages and thereby help lift more workers into middle-class prosperity.

Second, according to ballpark estimates, about 20 cents on every dollar spent on Buy American tend to come back to the government in the form of taxes paid by corporations earning profits on Buy American projects, workers earning wages on these projects, and states deriving more sales tax revenues.

Third, Buy American spending can strengthen our manufacturing and defense industrial base, including the manufacturing critical to economic prosperity and pillar industries like steel and aluminum that are vital to national security.

This latest Buy American executive order is the progeny of Executive Order 13788, signed April 18, 2017. That executive order sought “specific recommendations to strengthen implementation of Buy American Laws, including domestic procurement preference policies and programs.” Thursday’s new executive order implements a key recommendation.

The earlier executive order also has significantly strengthened enforcement of our existing domestic preference programs by requiring a more judicious use of waivers – historically a major source of leakage of dollars covered by Buy American requirements.

Compared to 2016, waiver usage is dramatically down at agencies ranging from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Federal Highway Administration.

Spending on American-made products during the Trump administration has increased by $24 billion over the previous three-year average. At the same time, use of waivers to justify the purchase of foreign-made goods declined by 16 percent government-wide from the 2017 fiscal year to the 2018 fiscal year, resulting in a 10-year low in spending on foreign-made goods.

Together with tax cuts that stimulate investment; deregulation that makes U.S. manufacturers more globally competitive; and tough trade actions that level the playing field for American farmers, ranchers, and workers, Buy American policies are helping to rekindle optimism and prosperity.

As President Trump has said, “economic security is national security.” There is no better example of this than the benefits that Buy American, Hire American programs bring not just to our working families but also to our defense industrial base.

Azerbaijan takes measures to turn Khankandi into safe city - VİDEO

News line

Armenian Government Grapples with Internal Division on Village Return Issue - Ishkhan Verdiyan talks on Ednews
14:12 28.03.2024
Ammunition found along route of Crocus City Hall terrorists
Ammunition found along route of Crocus City Hall terrorists
13:41 28.03.2024
Expert Ilyas Huseynov Predicts Peaceful Return of these territories to Azerbaijan
13:20 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan weather forecast for March 29
Azerbaijan weather forecast for March 29
12:55 28.03.2024
Russian MFA concerned about upcoming Armenia-US-EU meeting
12:23 28.03.2024
Secret Points of Pashinyan's Meeting with French Representative: Is Peace Agreement Signing Imminent?
12:00 28.03.2024
Armenia announces recruitment of border guards to work at Zvartnots
Armenia announces recruitment of border guards to work at Zvartnots
11:47 28.03.2024
The US-Armenia-EU Joint Conference is a part of the pressure plan on Azerbaijan - MP Konul Nurullayeva
11:30 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan’s central bank reduces discount rate
Azerbaijan’s central bank reduces discount rate
11:23 28.03.2024
CSTO chief: ‘Yerevan doesn’t participate in our work, but there are no statements about suspension’
11:13 28.03.2024
Ammunition found in Khankandi
Ammunition found in Khankandi
11:00 28.03.2024
Russia had been aware of preparation for terrorist attack at Crocus - says intelligience chief
10:46 28.03.2024
Scholtz reveals date of his last telephone conversation with Putin
Scholtz reveals date of his last telephone conversation with Putin
10:33 28.03.2024
Head of the SSS: France is inciting Armenia to a new war
10:21 28.03.2024
Are we in the brink of World War III? - Pundit talks on Ednews
10:10 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan's National Security: Reflecting on 105 Years of Defending Sovereignty
09:55 28.03.2024
Hikmat Hajiyev: Rasmussen fell in forgetfulness to attach payment to his report
09:35 28.03.2024
Hand grenades found in Kalbajar
09:25 28.03.2024
Titanic 'door' prop that kept Rose alive sells for $718,750
Titanic 'door' prop that kept Rose alive sells for $718,750
08:50 28.03.2024
Twitch's biggest streamer diagnosed with cancer diagnosis at 32
23:55 27.03.2024
Azerbaijan's former Minister of National Security passes away
22:41 27.03.2024
Russia has no unfriendly states, only unfriendly elites — Putin
22:25 27.03.2024
Erdogan vows to make efforts for implementation of UN resolution regarding Gaza
Erdogan vows to make efforts for implementation of UN resolution regarding Gaza
21:44 27.03.2024
Russian MFA: France's presence in the Caucasus is of an intelligence nature
21:00 27.03.2024
Record numbers of migrants arrive in UK in 2024
20:42 27.03.2024
Leo Docherty appointed new UK Minister of State for Armed Forces
Leo Docherty appointed new UK Minister of State for Armed Forces
19:34 27.03.2024
MFA: ‘We reject anti-Azerbaijani allegations in the report prepared by Friends of Armenia Network’
19:00 27.03.2024
Armenian Speaker: We are looking for people who consider those villages to be Armenian territory
18:42 27.03.2024
France evacuates over 170 nationals from Haiti
France evacuates over 170 nationals from Haiti
18:19 27.03.2024
Iran's Concerns Over Enclave Villages Return Highlight Geopolitical Complexities - Iranian political scientest talks on Ednews
18:00 27.03.2024
New details of the Crocus terrorist attack have been revealed - two suspects transited through Türkiye
17:33 27.03.2024
Political Scientist Turab Rzayev Weighs in on Armenia's "Great Armenia" Ambitions: Pashinyan's Realism or Rhetoric?
17:00 27.03.2024
Armenian did not join statement of CSTO PA condemning terrorist act in Crocus
Armenian did not join statement of CSTO PA condemning terrorist act in Crocus
16:39 27.03.2024
Political Scientist Criticizes EU Representative's Remarks on Azerbaijani Media Threats Against Armenia
15:55 27.03.2024
Pele's record in Brazilian national team broken
Pele's record in Brazilian national team broken
15:27 27.03.2024
Simonyan: Yerevan, Moscow not discuss withdrawal of Russian border guards from Armenian-Turkish border
15:18 27.03.2024
Tofig Abbasov: Armenia Seeks to Amplify Anti-Azerbaijani Sentiments in Georgia
15:01 27.03.2024
Russian parliament asks for investigation into 'western financing of terrorist acts'
14:46 27.03.2024
French company Delair to supply Ukraine with 400 reconnaissance drones
14:33 27.03.2024
Thailand moves to legalise same-sex marriage
Thailand moves to legalise same-sex marriage
14:19 27.03.2024
Hamısı