TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday [1-31-19] aimed at encouraging government contractors to ‘buy American’ as part of the administration’s efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing. The new order asks federal agencies to encourage those who receive federal financial assistance for infrastructure projects to use American materials and products, including iron, steel, aluminum and cement…The order follows one Trump signed during his first year in office, which asked federal agencies to ‘buy American’ whenever possible. Peter Navarro, the director of the White House National Trade Council, told reporters ahead of the signing that the order had spurred a $24 billion increase in the purchase of American-made products and driven U.S. government spending on foreign goods to its lowest point in 10 years. The new order applies to federal financial assistance such as loans, grants and interest subsidies. Navarro said that some 30 federal agencies award more than $700 billion in such aid each year to more than 40,000 organizations working on projects like bridges, sewer systems, broadband internet installation and cybersecurity.”
–Associated Press, “Trump Order Asks Federal Fund Recipients to Buy US Goods,” The New York Times online, January 31, 2019