(a) The Administrator may issue a general waiver for all RUS Borrowers for a determinate period, if the Administrator finds that such manufactured or unmanufactured goods are in shortage regionally or nationally, so as to avoid the administrative burden of issuing individual, specific waivers.

(b) The Administrator has determined that it is in the best interest of RUS to issue a permanent general public interest waiver from the Buy America requirements for “small purchases,” which shall be published in the Federal Register for each program under the RE Act and amended as needed from time to time. In carrying out this exception, however, the Administrator shall ensure that contracts are not artificially fragmented.