ADVERTISEMENT To understand how the Biden team is really trying to do something here — and they are candid about this being a long-term project — you need a little background. Beginning in 1933, our country has had a variety of “Buy American” provisions peppered through federal and state law. The core “Buy American” obligations apply to federal procurements, but these obligations also seep through to state and local government purchases when those purchases are made, in whole or in part, with federal funding. Not only are these laws complex, but they are widely ignored. For example, in 2016 California’s state auditor found that the California Department of Education had failed to ensure the state’s school districts comply with the Buy American provisions for federal monies received for school lunch programs. Drilling down to the school district level, the auditor concluded that none of the school districts reviewed “had adequate policies and procedures for ensuring compliance with the Buy American requirement.”