One Year Anniversary of the Made in America Office

By Made in America Director Celeste Drake

One year ago today, President Biden signed an Executive Order launching a Government-wide initiative to help strengthen the use of Federal procurement and financial assistance to support American manufacturing. As part of that work, the order established the first ever Made in America Office (MIAO) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)— a central hub to help coordinate the Federal Government’s efforts to build confidence and public trust in Made in America laws by increasing transparency and maximizing the use of domestic content when the Federal Government spends taxpayer dollars.

The President appointed me as the nation’s first Made in America Director to oversee implementation of the Administration-wide ‘Buy American’ commitment. In just one year, our office has already made significant progress advancing the President’s vision of a future that’s Made in America by all of America’s workers. Over the past 12 months, we’ve:

• Helped Agencies Implement New Made in America Requirements. Beginning in June 2021, we provided agencies with instructions on how to increase opportunities for domestic sourcing and reduce the need for exceptions (known as waivers) from Made in America Laws. We also spelled out the information that needs to be considered when granting a waiver. These policies play a critical role in making Made in America policies more transparent and consistent across the whole Federal Government.

• Worked with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) to propose a rule to strengthen Buy American Act requirements, so that when we call something Made in America, it really is Made in America. The proposal, which gradually increases the Made in America content threshold from 55% to 75%, represents the most robust change to the implementation of the Buy American Act in almost 70 years. 

• Launched MadeinAmerica.gov—a new website designed to provide greater accountability and public transparency of proposed and completed waivers from Made in America Laws and send clear market signals to encourage private sector investment in domestic manufacturing. 

• Created a new Made in America Council to ensure we identify the best ideas and practices from across the Federal Government to maximize domestic sourcing and make recommendations to help build resiliency in critical U.S. supply chains.

As we head into the second year of the Biden-Harris Administration, this important work will continue full-speed ahead. Over the coming months, the MIAO is planning to take a number of actions to further support the President’s goals to build back a stronger domestic manufacturing base and ensure our efforts complement and support a range of other key Administration priorities.

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