Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
President Biden wants the 650,000 vehicles operated by the federal government to be electric, union-made — and made in America. As Axios' Joann Muller reports, even managing the first two would be extremely difficult. The third, however, is particularly problematic.
Why it matters: We live in a world of highly complex global supply chains, where "made in" designations are increasingly difficult to determine.
It is impossible to overstate how labyrinthine and bottomless these rules are. The official World Customs Organization handbook barely scratches the surface, but all you really need to do is see the abject fear in the eyes of any international economist when you say the magic words "rules of origin."
- Biden wants to change those rules, and in doing so he wants to discourage global supply chains in favor of a dream of purely domestic manufacturing. It's not clear whether changing the rules or moving the factories is the more difficult task.
Consumers in post-Brexit Britain are learning the hard way that even when there are no tariffs on goods from the EU, country-of-origin rules can end up saddling them with large and unexpected bills added onto shipments from Europe.
The big picture: This is deglobalization in action. Country-of-origin regulations are like kryptonite to efficient global supply chains. The more of them there are, the worse that is for all global trade.