To be fair, there is nothing wrong with wanting a strong economy, a manufacturing presence on U.S. soil, and aspirations for American companies to become better than their foreign competitors.
Basically, if the federal government is paying for a bridge, the contractor must get its steel, cement, and other materials from American companies.
This creates the impression that the main global trade issue is companies participating in U.S. public procurement and sourcing work and materials abroad. Biden talks a lot about public procurement of steel and other construction materials.
Americans spend more on foreign wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages than they do on foreign steel.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a strong domestic steel, or battery, or medical supply industry in the U.S. The issue is how to achieve it.
If we stick to the steel example, in order to qualify for "Buy American" public procurement, all the steel products would have to be "Mined, melted, and manufactured" in the U.S. Which means that bolts and nuts used in construction would have to be manufactured in U.S/ from a steel melted in the U.S. from the iron ore mined in the U.S. Once again, nothing wrong with the notion of making America a good place for an entire supply chain of the steel industry.
Does it imply a policy where American companies produce superior products that everyone wants to buy? Or a policy where American are forced to buy American products?
Basically, if the federal government is paying for a bridge, the contractor must get its steel, cement, and other materials from American companies.
This creates the impression that the main global trade issue is companies participating in U.S. public procurement and sourcing work and materials abroad. Biden talks a lot about public procurement of steel and other construction materials.
Americans spend more on foreign wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages than they do on foreign steel.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a strong domestic steel, or battery, or medical supply industry in the U.S. The issue is how to achieve it.
If we stick to the steel example, in order to qualify for "Buy American" public procurement, all the steel products would have to be "Mined, melted, and manufactured" in the U.S. Which means that bolts and nuts used in construction would have to be manufactured in U.S/ from a steel melted in the U.S. from the iron ore mined in the U.S. Once again, nothing wrong with the notion of making America a good place for an entire supply chain of the steel industry.
Does it imply a policy where American companies produce superior products that everyone wants to buy? Or a policy where American are forced to buy American products?
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