WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Donald Trump’s top trade adviser traveled to Pennsylvania Thursday with the secretary of the Navy to see how the state is using American-made products to build up the country’s military operations.
“Economic security is national security,” said Dr. Peter Navarro, White House trade Advisor.
The President’s top trade adviser– Peter Navarro– is on a mission to strengthen the country’s defense industrial base.
It’s a partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and more than 100,000 companies providing products and services for military operations.
A White House report released a year ago said the U.S. was relying too much on manufacturing in other countries. Navarro says he’s working with the President to change that.
On Thursday, he traveled to Pennsylvania with U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer to see how military partnerships are building the economy there.
“As we build these ships, build our Navy, it helps rebuild our country’s manufacturing and defense industrial base,” said Navarro.
This isn’t Navarro’s first trip to rally support for strengthening the country’s industrial base. He’s also made stops in states like Wisconsin and South Carolina and plans to make even more.
Navarro says his trips show the president’s “Buy American” policies are working. They encourage federal agencies to spend more money on products made in the U.S.
“To accelerate the incredible revival of American manufacturing,” said President Trump.
While President Trump has expressed concern when federal contracts go to foreign-based companies, Navarro says it looks like that trend is reversing.
“What we’ve seen so far is the lowest amount of foreign content by percentage now in over a decade,” said Navarro.
The manufacturing sector added nearly 300,000 jobs last year, the highest annual net gain since 1997. Critics of the “Buy American” plan say it requires the federal government to pay more for many products and the cost falls on the taxpayer.
