Tarrant County Surgical Mask Maker Who Supported Trump's “Buy American” Pledge Now Sees It as “hot Air”

As he walked down a seemingly endless series of unlit hallways in the 220,000-square-foot Prestige Ameritech factory in Tarrant County, executive vice president, Mike Bowen, was openly bitter.Bowen's company makes surgical masks that shield the faces of clinicians and patients from the spread of viruses and other infectious diseases.He said he has tried to keep the "Made in USA" label on all of his products. For years he has been vocal about the dwindling presence of American companies in this once thriving local industry. But now he sees the effort as "a waste of time."What sent him over the edge most recently was that just days after the White House touted "Made in America Week”, a July event to spotlight American-made goods, the government awarded contracts for surgical masks worth more than a million to a supplier that does the bulk of its production south of the border. “If the government doesn’t even buy American, who will?,” Bowen asked.Selling "Buy American"For many in the manufacturing sector, the Trump administration renewed a disparaged spirit. During his inauguration speech, the president talked about changing policies that left millions of American workers jobless as “rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.”  Continue reading...