With votes in the Senate to advance his bipartisan compromise last week, President Joe Biden took a big step toward upgrading America’s infrastructure. And he took a small step toward ensuring Washington can upgrade less of it.
That step backward came with Biden’s move last week to stiffen requirements that federal government purchases be limited to products made in the United States — even if they’re more expensive. Thus he followed the grooves set by both Democratic and Republican predecessors, who have consistently embraced crowd-pleasing “buy American” stances that make economists groan. …
No one doubts that it’s good politics. As Biden seeks to recapture the allegiance of some Trump-friendly blue-collar workers, Buy American policies fare “extremely well” among voters, observed Democratic pollster Mark Mellman.
“It’s like being for puppies,” cracked Republican counterpart Glen Bolger. In fact, Bolger added, the idea that Washington can boost the domestic economy through federal purchasing power strikes plenty of Americans as too good to be true. CONTINUED
John Harwood, CNN
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