President Joe Biden boasted on Friday of a U.S. manufacturing surge, seeking to change a Republican narrative that the economy is in turmoil under his watch ahead of November elections that could play a crucial role in determining control of Congress.

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 touring United Performance Metals, a metal manufacturer near Cincinnati, Biden said the initiative and others will help bury the idea of a "Rust Belt," a term used to describe dead manufacturing cities.

Driven by 3D printing, the technology allows complex shapes to be built up in layers from particles of plastics or metal. It is viewed by the administration as a sort of innovation that will enable U.S. manufacturers to flourish and create jobs.

The initiative, dubbed AM Forward, is a voluntary program. Companies sign a public commitment to increase use of the technology and also rely on small- to medium-sized U.S.-based supply companies.

GE Aviation, Siemens Energy, Pantheon and Lockheed Martin are the initial participants, the official said.

Biden used the visit to call on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which aims to boost manufacturing in the United States, particularly the production of semiconductor chips.

Biden is facing headwinds as he tries to help his fellow Democrats stave off a Republican takeover of Congress in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Inflation is at a 40-year high and gasoline prices are soaring, weighing down Biden's job approval ratings, and Republicans frequently attack Biden's handling of the economy.

Former President Donald Trump took Ohio in 2016 and 2020 in part because of his appeal to Rust Belt voters tired of seeing jobs disappear.

The trip marks Biden's sixth visit to Ohio since taking office in January 2021.

Offering voters an alternative view, Democrats point to strong job growth under Biden, a point the president was likely to underline 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."

Biden in recent days has made more overt political remarks as he girds for the five months of political campaigning. On Wednesday he sharply criticized Trump's devoted followers, referring to them by the MAGA acronym for Trump's Make America Great Again slogan.

In primaries this week Trump-backed Republican J.D. Vance won the nomination for a U.S. Senate seat while Democratic incumbent Representative Shontel Brown handily defeated progressive candidate Nina Turner in the U.S. congressional district which includes Cleveland.