Ohio Visit: Donald Trump Will Sign Order Requiring Feds to Buy Certain Drugs From US Companies

President Trump is set to sign an executive order Thursday that requires the federal government to buy certain drugs from manufacturers in the United States.

He plans to sign the order at Ohio’s Whirlpool Corp. manufacturing plant.

Three months ahead of the presidential election, Trump’s visit to the swing state is intended to show that he prioritizes American jobs and aims to halt agreements that give advantages to overseas companies.

“President Trump understands Ohioans and Americans across the country must have access to life-saving medications, particularly as we fight this battle against the invisible enemy from China," Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, told USA Today.

Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, testified in October that the U.S. gets nearly three-quarters of its pharmaceutical ingredients from manufacturers overseas.

The Trump administration announced a plan last week to give the Eastman Kodak Co. a $765 million loan to start its pharmaceuticals division. The loan is under the Defense Production Act, which will also be used to stipulate the order Trump signs Thursday.

The executive order doesn’t name which specific drugs will be required to be purchased by the federal government.

Trump is expected to call attention to his plans to increase U.S. manufacturing jobs at the Whirlpool Corp. plant in Clyde, Ohio, which received 200 news jobs when he upheld a 50% tariff on imports of large residential washing machines in January 2018.

A recent CBS News Battleground Tracker poll showed Trump with 46% support of Ohio voters., Presumptive Democratic nominee Biden had 45% support among likely Ohio voters in the same poll.