FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2021
For more information please contact:
Zenagui Brahim
President, NHMEP
zenaguib@nhmep.org
The White House announced on January 25, 2021 a pending Executive Order (EO) called Executive Order on Ensuring the Future is Made in All of America by All American Workers (link at the bottom). According to the announcement, the EO establishes a substantial role for the MEP National Network in the new administration’s plans to bolster American manufacturing. The EO establishes a priority at the highest levels to use federal purchasing power to support American manufacturers of all types and sizes, across the country. It contains several distinct provisions, each with implications for MEP.
Existing law: Dating back to the passage of the Buy American Act of 1933, federal law already includes requirements to use domestic sources for the procurement of products for public use within the U.S., but those preferences are both out of date and inconsistently applied. The EO directs federal agencies to close loopholes and update the definition of “American-made,” that is, increase the domestic content threshold.
Personnel: Appoints a senior executive at the Office of Management and Budget to oversee the implementation of this EO. The OMB has both power and authority over agency budgets, so its role here is significant.
Waiver Transparency: The existing domestic sourcing requirements for federal procurements have limited effectiveness because agencies can and do waive them. Agency efforts have included requiring secretary-level approval for waivers, as well as engaging the MEP Buy American Supplier Scouting to assess domestic availability. Still, waivers are frequently granted across many agencies. The EO does two things on this front: it requires a “central review” of these waivers in order to reduce them and it directs the General Services Administration to publish proposed waivers on a website.
MEP Supplier Scouting: The EO includes an element that specifically directs federal agencies to work with the MEP National Network to identify and engage domestic suppliers. NHMEP provides a Supplier Scouting and Matching Program a free service to New Hampshire manufacturers that assists them in both finding suppliers and sharing their capacity with the national MEP network to build their business. These federally funded services grow the domestic supply chain and encourage US manufacturing growth – which ultimately serves the NIST MEP mission to make US manufacturers globally competitive.
Watch WMUR’s video clip White House push to buy American could benefit NH businesses
Below are links to the Executive Order, the president’s remarks, and the White House statement.
The EO can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/executive-order-on-ensuring-the-future-is-made-in-all-of-america-by-all-of-americas-workers/
The president’s remarks can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/25/remarks-by-president-biden-at-signing-of-executive-order-on-strengthening-american-manufacturing/
The White House statement can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/25/president-biden-to-sign-executive-order-strengthening-buy-american-provisions-ensuring-future-of-america-is-made-in-america-by-all-of-americas-workers/
If you would like to learn more, contact Zenagui Brahim at zenaguib@nhmep.org or call (603) 226-3200.
About NH MEP
The NH MEP is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national MEP system is a network of manufacturing extension centers that provide business and technical assistance to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through MEP, manufacturers have access to more than 2,000 manufacturing and business “coaches” whose job is to help firms make changes that lead to greater productivity, increased profits and enhanced global competitiveness. For more information please visit www.nhmep.org or call 603-226-3200.