Manufacturing is the backbone of America, powering our economy and building our middle class. Over the past year and a half, we have been making “Buy American” a reality, not just a slogan, and bringing jobs and companies home. This year’s National Manufacturing Day comes in the midst of an American manufacturing boom, as we celebrate the strength and resilience of the American worker and recommit to the investments and innovation that will ensure the future is Made in America.
Throughout the pandemic, even as factories closed and supply chains stalled, American workers showed incredible ingenuity and resolve to keep our country moving forward. Today, we are experiencing the strongest manufacturing rebound at this point in a presidency in 3 decades, adding 668,000 manufacturing jobs since my Administration began. Employers have announced $200 billion in new manufacturing investments here since 2021, and manufacturing construction has more than doubled as companies are betting on America again. But to really guarantee our economic strength and national security, we have to do more by investing in infrastructure, innovation, and our own supply chains to bring prices down and good-paying union jobs home.
That is why last fall, I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a once-in-a-generation investment in America’s roads, bridges, railways, and ports, which will boost demand for American iron, steel, and construction materials. It is why we are helping to train the workforce of the future — supporting STEM education and tech hubs across the country, pushing companies to partner with community colleges and technical schools, and bolstering Registered Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs funded by the American Rescue Plan. It is why we are using the Government’s purchasing power to grow the market for American-made goods. One of the first things I did as President was tighten Federal “Buy American” provisions, raising the amount of required domestic content from 55 percent to 75 percent. When the Federal Government spends taxpayer dollars, it should spend them on American-made products.