In an Oval Office ceremony Thursday, Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-4) was honored front-and-center as President Donald Trump signed a landmark “Buy American” executive order intended to boost the nation’s manufacturing industry.
The order, entitled “Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects,” will direct federally funded infrastructure projects to use American materials “to the greatest extent practicable.” It is especially focused on using American steel, iron, aluminum and concrete.
Aderholt was singled out as an integral proponent of “Buy American” policies by the president, as Trump gave him the Oval Office floor to address the media and explain his support.
Today I joined President Trump in the Oval Office as he signed an executive order that will strengthen “Buy American” provisions that I have championed. Government funded infrastructure projects being built with American tax dollars should be built with American made products. pic.twitter.com/AMiiCi9fBg
— Rep. Robert Aderholt (@Robert_Aderholt) January 31, 2019
The Alabama congressman then made some remarks before receiving some praise from Trump and the White House’s director of trade and manufacturing policy, Peter Navarro.
Partial transcript of the White House ceremony as follows:
ADERHOLT: Well, let me say, first of all, that this is a very commonsense, a bipartisan piece of executive order that the president — we have worked on legislation in the past that’s worked this from the appropriations side from year to year.
But what this executive order does, it goes beyond that and it really tries to make sure that we — as the president said, American hands are doing the job and this is what we’re — when we go back home, we want to see our manufacturers do well. We want to see them grow. We want to see our workers do — have better jobs. So thanks, Mr. President, for doing it. So, thank you.
TRUMP: Thank you. Appreciate it.
NAVARRO: Mr. President, if I may — this gentleman here has been a long-time leader on the hill carrying the Buy American banner, and his leadership is very much appreciated.
TRUMP: That’s why he wins by so much.
NAVARRO: Yes. That is correct. (Laughter.)
TRUMP: That’s why he doesn’t worry too much about races. You know? Just wins.
ADERHOLT: It helps when you’ve got a district that he wins about 80 percent. So — (laughter).
TRUMP: I think I did very well. (Laughter.) Come to think of it.
ADERHOLT: The best of 435 districts, so —
TRUMP: That’s great. That’s very nice. Thank you very much. Say hello.
Trump won Aderholt’s district, Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District, by a wider margin than any other in the nation.
Towards the end of the event, Aderholt added one more enthusiastic statement for the record.
“Let me just add one thing that I have — this makes my 22nd year serving in the House of Representatives. This president has stood up more for manufacturing jobs in Alabama and across the country — not just Alabama — than any president. So I thank you for standing up,” Aderholt told Trump.
The full transcript of the ceremony is available here.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
