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Biden pushes elusive ‘Buy American’ goal with new federal contract guidelines

President Joe Biden will take steps on Monday to harness the purchasing power of the United States government, the world’s biggest single buyer, to increase domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies, a senior administration official said.
Biden will sign an executive order aimed at closing loopholes in existing “Buy American” provisions, which structure the $600 billion in goods and services the federal government buys each year, making any waivers more transparent, and creating a senior White House role to oversee the process.
Increasing US manufacturing, a central tenet of Biden’s presidential campaign, has proven a vexing challenge for previous administrations, including that of former President Donald Trump.
Lower wages and weaker environmental standards have triggered the exodus of key manufacturing capabilities to China and other countries in recent decades, including medical equipment, resulting in critical gaps laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
China overtook the US as the world’s top manufacturer in 2010, and was responsible for 28 percent of global output in 2018, according to United Nations data.
Rebuilding critical supply chains and developing new ones is critical to US growth, trade experts say.
The US trade deficit surged to $68 billion in November, its highest level in 14 years, as businesses scrambled to fill shelves with foreign goods and supply domestic factories reliant on foreign parts, offsetting a rise in exports.
“The US spends about $600 billion a year on contracts, and that is money that...can also serve to spur a revitalization of our industrial strength and help to create markets for new technologies,” the official said.
The order directs federal agencies to reevaluate the threshold used to determine US content, to prevent companies it buys from from importing largely foreign-made goods and selling them as US-made after making just minor tweaks.
It sets a deadline of 180 days for regulators to finalize changes once proposed, and orders up a new website to ensure transparency about any waivers granted. The official gave no new percentages for required US content, saying they would be determined as a result of the process being launched on Monday.
The move is part of Biden’s broader push to drive up wages, create more union jobs and strengthen US supply chains, the official said.

“He does not accept the defeatist idea that automation, globalization mean that we can’t have good-paying union jobs here in America,” the official said.
The challenge in buying more US-made goods is partly a reflection of the erosion of many basic industries. Major US retailers, including Wal-Mart, have launched high profile “Made in America” campaigns, only to court foreign manufacturers afterward to get the goods consumers wanted. In 2015, the retailer faced a probe by the Federal Trade Commission for labeling products that were only partly made in the country.
Business groups blasted the Trump administration’s push to expand “Buy American” mandates to the medical equipment and pharmaceutical sectors, warning they could worsen shortages during the pandemic.
Asked if the order would be seen as protectionist, the official said it was fully consistent with US commitments under the World Trade Organization. The White House hopes to work with trade partners to modernize global rules, he said.
The process beginning Monday would “make sure that we are using procurement going forward in a way that actually builds domestic capacity, particularly in those areas where we have acute economic or national security needs and vulnerabilities,” he said.
source: Reuters
Image source: AP
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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