On Balance | Biden’s Ohio moment just a mirage of bipartisanship with Republicans

The US president’s plan to increase domestic manufacturing was a rare moment of cross-party cooperation which is likely to prove fleeting

With Republicans set to reclaim control of Congress this year, expect less action on issues important to voters and more nihilism

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US Senators Sherrod Brown (left) and Rob Portman (centre) of Ohio listen to US President Joe Biden speak at United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio, on May 6. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:30am, 10 May 2022

US President Joe Biden’s appearance at an Ohio manufacturer of metal alloy parts last week with Republican Senator Rob Portman offered hope for American politics – or was it fantasy?

The evolution of American political discourse during the past decade would seem to doom the long-term prospects for cooperation between the country’s two political parties on urgent problems. Watching the two men shake hands, share a stage and talk about a common cause was kind of like looking at photos from the last big holiday you had before Covid-19 hit.

But there Portman was on the floor of a sprawling factory in a state that is likely to see Donald Trump-endorsed candidate JD Vance assume Portman’s seat after this year’s midterm elections. He was there to tout an initiative the White House hopes will help fight inflation, spread innovation throughout the land and reverse the decades-long transfer of economic might from the United States to China.

The plan, which depends on the voluntary participation of GE Aviation and a handful of other aerospace giants and defence contractors, envisions a domestic manufacturing revolution based on 3D printing technology. In another move aimed at countering China’s manufacturing prowess, the larger companies are committing to help smaller US suppliers adopt the technology to keep more of their supply chains in the US.

On paper, at least, it sounds better than Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which will depend on governments whose trust in Washington is understandably tenuous. It will be harder for GE Aviation and the other companies involved to walk away from commitments to Biden’s cause than for politicians in Jakarta and New Delhi.

Portman’s participation in the plan launched on the floor of United Performance Metals’ factory in Hamilton, Ohio, shows that some within the Republican Party are more interested in creating new policies than undermining and overturning everything that came before them.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}On Balance | Biden’s Ohio moment just a mirage of bipartisanship with Republicans

On Balance | Biden’s Ohio moment just a mirage of bipartisanship with Republicans