President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Monday aimed at promoting the "Buy American" agenda he campaigned on last year, which seeks to bolster U.S. manufacturing through the federal procurement process.
The executive order directs agencies to strengthen requirements about purchasing products and services from U.S. workers and businesses, cuts some red tape and creates a position in the Office of Management and Budget responsible for enforcing the directive, an administration official told reporters on a conference call Sunday.
The order will also reiterate the Biden administration's support for the Jones Act, which limits foreign maritime shipping between U.S. ports to U.S.-made or -owned vessels.
During the campaign, Biden proposed a Buy American plan calling for a $400 billion, four-year increase in government purchasing of U.S.-made products and services. Former President Donald Trump made a similar push, but the Biden administration official said the new effort is a "clear directive" with a "clear direction."
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics"It's based on his view that we are making things in America and all of America is core to our economic strategy," the official said, adding that the order is part of a broader effort to "strengthen supply chains" and "modernize international trade rules."
Biden has already signed a number of executive actions through his early days as president, including measures to address the Covid-19 pandemic, rejoin the Paris climate accord and eliminate Trump's travel restrictions mostly targeting a handful of Middle Eastern countries.
Biden will also sign restrictions Monday on travel to the U.S. to mitigate Covid-19 transmission. The ban would prevent most non-U.S. citizens from entry if they have recently been in South Africa, where a new strain of Covid-19 has been identified. Biden is also expected to reinstate broader restrictions affecting travel from the United Kingdom and much of Europe, but were rescinded by President Donald Trump days before his term ended.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Biden will also take steps this week related to the criminal justice system, climate change, access to health care, the immigration system and border policies, as well as to reunite families separated at the border and provide equity and support for communities of color.
