WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the United States cannot send a protectionist message to the rest of the world.
He cautioned Congress that any protectionist provisions that could trigger a trade war should not be included in the final version of the economic stimulus plan.
The president was answering questions in television interviews about a controversial buy American provision included in the 819-billion-dollar stimulus bill the House passed on Jan. 28.
We can't send a protectionist message, Obama told Fox News.
The buy American provision generally prohibits the purchase of foreign iron and steel for any stimulus-funded infrastructure project.
The massive tax cuts and spending package has moved to the Senate. Its own version extends the buy American initiative beyond the House's iron and steel mandates to include all U.S. manufactured goods, according to news reports.
Obama also told ABC that any provisions that are in there are not going to trigger a trade war.
Leading business interests have warned that such provisions could trigger trade wars that only will exacerbate the slump in trade volumes and economic growth stemming from the global financial crisis.
The House's buy American provision also raised worries in Canada, the United States's biggest trading partner, as well as in Europe.
On Tuesday, Obama worked hard to push his massive stimulus plan forward as the Senate continued the debate on the stimulus bill.
One day after expressing optimism that action on the massive plan will be finalized soon, Obama Tuesday accepted interviews with all five major U.S. television news outlets -- ABC, CBS, NBC,CNN and Fox News, a move to seek public support.
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