Executive Order 13881, signed on July 15, 2019, directed all federal agencies to revise their procurement policies to prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, products, and materials in government contracting. The order established binding requirements for agencies to modify evaluation criteria in competitive bidding processes to favor domestic suppliers and set measurable goals for increasing the percentage of federal procurement dollars spent on American-made products. This represented a formal institutionalization of "America First" procurement philosophy across the federal government's substantial purchasing power.

Federal contracting officers, procurement specialists, and the vendors competing for government contracts faced the most immediate impacts. Domestic manufacturers gained preferential treatment in bid evaluations, while foreign suppliers and American companies relying on imported components faced structural disadvantages in securing federal business. The order affected agencies across defense, infrastructure, technology, and services sectors, translating to shifts in contract awards potentially worth billions of dollars annually given the federal government's role as the nation's largest purchaser of goods and services.

This executive order formed part of a broader pattern of protectionist economic policies that intensified throughout the Trump administration's tenure and continued into subsequent administrations. The order operated in tandem with the national emergency declaration on trade deficits maintained through 2026, which preserved authority for tariff implementations and trade restrictions. Complementary measures including the suspension of duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries and subsequent tariff actions reinforced the framework favoring domestic production, even as some tariffs were selectively ended in February 2026. The 2026 executive order on truthful advertising of Made in America products further solidified this approach by establishing clearer definitions and enforcement mechanisms for domestic product claims.

The legal and practical effects of this procurement reorientation reflected fundamental changes to how federal spending shaped market competition. By institutionalizing domestic preference across government contracting, the order created sustained demand advantages for American manufacturers while increasing costs for federal agencies purchasing foreign or foreign-component-based products. These structural market effects persisted independent of subsequent tariff modifications, establishing procurement patterns that favored reshoring and domestic manufacturing capacity.