Virginia U.S. Senate candidate and retired U.S. Navy captain Hung Cao recently visited a state-of-the-art nitrile rubber plant in southwest Virginia that the Biden administration abandoned. This move allowed China to potentially become America’s largest supplier of rubber medical gloves. Cao expressed his frustration with the administration’s lack of support for American manufacturing during a phone interview after the visit.
During the Trump administration, federal grants were awarded to Blue Star NBR to build the plant, which aimed to reduce America’s reliance on imported gloves and create jobs in the area. However, due to a lack of additional funding from the Biden administration, the plant was left unfinished, impacting the local economy and job opportunities.
Cao emphasized the importance of maintaining American manufacturing capabilities for essential items like medical gloves, especially in times of national emergencies. He highlighted the potential risks associated with relying on foreign-made products and the need for quality control and national security considerations.
Despite President Biden’s promises to support American manufacturing, the lack of financial support for projects like the nitrile rubber plant in Virginia has raised concerns about the administration’s commitment to this goal. Cao called attention to the administration’s reliance on Chinese-made products instead of investing in domestic production.
