Administration

Trump says federal agencies ‘must buy American’

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by Ashleigh Fields - 05/10/26 4:40 PM ET

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by Ashleigh Fields - 05/10/26 4:40 PM ET

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On Sunday, President Trump said federal agencies “must buy American” in a Truth Social post, doubling down on his push to prioritize the use of products manufactured, developed and produced in the United States.

“ALL FEDERAL AGENCIES MUST BUY AMERICAN — NO EXCUSES! For decades, Washington politicians sent your Taxpayer Dollars overseas, and let Foreign Countries rip us off while our Workers, Factories, and Supply Chains were left behind,” Trump wrote Sunday.

“That betrayal is OVER,” he added.

Government agencies are generally required to buy American-made products under the Buy American Act of 1933, which mandates that federal agencies acquire domestic end products for public use.

However, there are several exceptions to the law including unreasonable cost, product unavailability and if domestic preference would be inconsistent with the public interest.

Trump has long criticized government agencies for signing too many waivers allowing agencies to purchase foreign made products over American made goods and has decried false branding online that “targets patriotic consumers.”

In a March executive order entitled “Ensuring Truthful Advertising of Products Claiming To Be Made in America,” Trump pushed forward efforts to crack down on false claims of American-made products advertised on the digital marketplace or by foreign manufacturers and sellers.

During his first administration, Trump signed multiple executive orders with similar objectives.

The first was the “Buy American, Hire American” executive order, issued in April of 2017. The executive action increased enforcement of standing Buy American laws.

Two years later, he signed the “Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects,” which provided clear guidelines for iron and steel products allegedly produced in the U.S.

The order states that all manufacturing processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, must occur in the U.S. in order to be branded as such.

In his second term, the president has pushed foreign companies, specifically in the auto industry, to establish factories in the U.S., often tying terms into trade agreements that outline multimillion dollar investments in the creation of new American plants to create more jobs and increase the country’s profit from exports.

“No more games. No more fake labels. No more ripping off the American Taxpayer. AMERICA FIRST means BUY AMERICAN!” Trump wrote in Sunday’s post.

“My Administration is strengthening MADE IN AMERICA Laws, ENDING Waiver Loopholes, and STOPPING the Federal Government from buying Foreign Products when Great American Products are available,” he added.

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