The president, a Democrat, announced during a trip to Ohio an initiative to encourage large companies to adopt an emerging technology known as additive manufacturing, a senior administration official said.
After visiting United Performance Metals, a metal maker near Cincinnati, Biden said this initiative and others will help bury the idea of a “Rust Belt,” a term used to describe dead manufacturing towns.
Stimulated by 3D printing, this technology makes it possible to build complex shapes by layers from particles of plastic or metal. It is seen by the administration as a kind of innovation that will allow American manufacturers to prosper and create jobs.
The initiative, dubbed AM Forward, is a voluntary program. The companies sign a public pledge to increase the use of technology and also rely on US-based small and medium-sized procurement companies.
GE Aviation, Siemens Energy, Pantheon and Lockheed Martin are the first participants, the official said.
Mr. Biden took advantage of this visit to ask Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which aims to stimulate the manufacturing industry in the United States, in particular the production of semiconductor chips.
Mr Biden faces headwinds as he tries to help fellow Democrats avoid a Republican takeover of Congress in the November 8 midterm elections.
Inflation is at its highest level in 40 years and gas prices are soaring, weighing on Mr. Biden’s popularity ratings, and Republicans frequently attack Mr. Biden’s management of the economy .
Former President Donald Trump won Ohio in 2016 and 2020 in part because of his appeal to Rust Belt readers tired of seeing jobs disappear.
The trip marks Biden’s sixth visit to Ohio since taking office in January 2021.
Offering readers an alternative view, Democrats point to strong job growth under Biden, a point the president was likely to emphasize in his remarks.
The White House said he would talk about “building on the 473,000 manufacturing jobs created since he took office – more jobs on average per month than under any other president in the last 50 years.”
In recent days, Biden has made more overtly political remarks as he prepares for the five-month political campaign. On Wednesday, he sharply criticized disgruntled Trump supporters, referring to them by the acronym MAGA for Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
In this week’s primaries, Trump-backed Republican JD Vance won the nomination for a US Senate seat, while Democratic incumbent Shontel Brown easily beat progressive candidate Nina Turner in the US Congressional constituency that won includes Cleveland. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Leslie Adler and Howard Goller)