President Biden signed an executive order Monday to boost government buying from U.S. manufacturers, as talks with Congress over a $1.9-trillion stimulus package that he considers essential to the nation’s recovery showed few signs of progress. The executive order is among a flurry of moves by Biden during his first full week to publicly show he’s taking swift action to heal an ailing economy. The order was aimed at increasing factory jobs, which have slumped by 540,000 since the pandemic began last year. “America can’t sit on the sidelines in the race for the future,” Biden said before signing the order in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. AdvertisementThe order also has elements that apply to the separate Buy America program that applies to highways and bridges.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 25, 2021 11:15 UTC