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At the AMES Companies Inc factory in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the wheelbarrows coming off the assembly line once every six seconds cost the company more to make in the United States than abroad, but U.S. retailers generally will not charge more for them because consumers would balk, AMES President Mark Traylor said.
Nearly all U.S. manufacturers face the same squeeze.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found 70 percent of Americans think it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to buy U.S.-made products.
Despite that sentiment, 37 percent said they would refuse to pay more for U.S.-made goods versus imports. Twenty six percent said they would only pay up to 5 percent more to buy American, and 21 percent capped the premium at 10 percent.
U.S. President Donald Trump rode into office on promises of bringing back manufacturing jobs and boosting economic growth, and has criticized companies that move production overseas.
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