Manufacturing is the backbone of America, fueling our economy and building our middle class. Over the past year and a half, we’ve made “Buy American” a reality, not just a slogan, and we’ve brought jobs and businesses home. This year’s National Manufacturing Day comes amid a boom in American manufacturing, as we celebrate the strength and resilience of the American worker and reaffirm our commitment 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 have shown incredible ingenuity and determination to move our country forward. Today, we are experiencing the strongest manufacturing rebound at this stage of a presidency in 3 decades, adding 668,000 manufacturing jobs since the start of my administration. Employers have announced $200 billion in new manufacturing investment here since 2021, and manufacturing construction has more than doubled as companies again bet on America. But to truly secure our economic strength and national security, we need to do more by investing in infrastructure, innovation, and our own supply chains to drive down prices and create well-paying union jobs.
That’s why last fall I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, a one-time investment in America’s roads, bridges, railroads and ports that will drive demand for iron, steel and of American building materials. That’s why we’re helping to build the workforce of tomorrow – supporting STEM education and technology centers across the country, pushing businesses to partner with community colleges and technical schools, and strengthening registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs funded by the American Rescue Plan. That’s why we use the purchasing power of the government to expand the market for products made in the United States. One of the first things I did as president was to tighten the federal “Buy American” provisions, increasing the amount of domestic content required from 55% to 75%. When the federal government spends taxpayers’ money, it should be spending it on products made in the United States.
Meanwhile, we are investing in the biggest industries of tomorrow — clean energy; advanced biotechnology; quantum computing; and semiconductors, the computer chips that power everything from smartphones to dishwashers and cars. In August, I signed the CHIPS and Science Act, securing significant funding for manufacturing and domestic research and development. America invented the semiconductor; this law brings it home – and it is already attracting tens of billions of dollars in private sector investment and will create tens of thousands of jobs. I also recently signed the groundbreaking Reducing Inflation Act, which is allocating a record $369 billion to fight climate change by stimulating demand for energy-efficient appliances, homes and cars. energy and creating millions of well-paying jobs in clean energy and clean manufacturing. .
America is the only nation in the world that can be defined in one word: possibilities. American manufacturing makes those possibilities real. Today, on National Manufacturing Day, thousands of manufacturers across the country are opening their doors to give a new generation of students, teachers and builders a glimpse of the opportunities a career in modern manufacturing. We stand with them and are committed to winning not only the jobs of today, but also the jobs and industries of tomorrow. The United States is in a position to surpass the world once again.
THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim on October 7 2022 as National Manufacturing Day. I encourage all Americans to seek out ways to get involved in your community and join me in participating in National Manufacturing Day and most importantly, Buy American.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have signed this
sixth day of October in the year of grace two thousand and twenty-two, and of the independence of the United States of America on the two hundred and forty-seven.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
