Rick Scott lauds Joe Biden’s ‘buy American’ executive order

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott found common cause with the new Democratic President on an Executive Order issued Monday, lauding Joe Biden for deciding to “join” him in a “buy American” push.

“Buying American is not partisan, and I’m glad to see President Biden join me in acting to put American interests first,” asserted Scott Monday, in a statement issued by his Senate office.

The Biden order requires the federal government to buy American-made goods, with an executive-level senior leader guiding the effort.

Scott contends that while it’s “not always easy to buy American,” it nonetheless “is an important step we can all take at home to ensure America remains a leader in the global economy and is self-reliant in our supply chain.”

The Senator noted his own resolution, passed by the Senate in 2020, that advised Americans to buy domestic products.

“Now more than ever, Americans must remember that every time we buy a product ‘made in China,’ we are putting another dollar into the pockets of Communist Chinese government leaders and their cronies who steal our jobs and our technology,” Scott said.

The Senator also extended hope that “the Biden Administration’s foreign policy nominees will share this commitment to holding Communist China accountable and take aggressive action to confront the threat it poses to international security and American interests.”

While it may prove difficult for any Democratic foreign policy nominee to match Scott’s rhetoric, arguably the leading hawk on the China question in the Senate, the moment of accord offered a rare example of the Republican Senator giving Biden credit on China policy.

“Biden appointees are weak on China,” the Senator argued in December. “Career politicians like Joe Biden have rolled over and allowed Communist China to take advantage of Americans for decades.”

During the presidential campaign, Scott likewise contended Biden wouldn’t stand up to Beijing.

“The best thing for the communist government in China would be for Biden to be elected President,” Scott wrote in an August op-ed for Fox News.

Indeed, on Monday night the Senator reiterated criticism of Biden’s “decision to appease the Far Left and re-join” the Paris Accord, saying it was a sop to China.

While it’s almost certain that Scott will continue to bash Biden on alleged subservience to China, on the issue of the “buy American” executive order, the Senator was boxed into the rare position of having to say that the President was right at least once.