Biden touts manufacturing in Ohio ahead of midterms
STORY: The president, a Democrat, also announced during his trip to Ohio an initiative to encourage large companies to adopt an emerging technology known as additive manufacturing, a senior administration official said.
Driven by 3D printing, the technology allows complex shapes to be built up in layers from particles of plastics or metal. The administration views it as a sort of innovation that will enable U.S. manufacturers to flourish and create jobs.
After touring a metal manufacturer near Cincinnati, Biden said the initiative, dubbed AM Forward, and others will help bury the idea of a "Rust Belt," a term used to describe dead manufacturing cities.
Biden called on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which aims to boost manufacturing in the United States, particularly the production of semiconductor chips.
The president is facing headwinds as he tries to help his fellow Democrats stave off a Republican takeover of Congress in the Nov. 8 elections, with inflation at a 40-year high and gasoline prices soaring.
Former President Donald Trump took Ohio, a key swing state, 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.
