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Is the Biden administration putting the Defense Production Act to broader use in its COVID-19 response?

Sunday, February 7, 2021
By Lauralei Singsank
YES

On Feb. 5, 2021, the White House outlined initiatives under the Defense Production Act to strengthen efforts to contain COVID-19:

  • Steps to ensure Pfizer has priority access to two components critical to making its COVID-19 vaccine, one of the two currently authorized for use in the U.S.
  • Steps to ensure the supply of 61 million coronavirus at-home test kits by the end of the summer.
  • Steps to expand domestic production of surgical gloves to one billion a month by yearend, sufficient to meet 50% of the needs of U.S. health care providers. “Right now, we just don’t have enough gloves,” said White House coordinator Tim Manning.

The procurement law allows the president wide scope to intervene to ensure domestic business prioritizes national defense needs, by, for instance, prioritizing federal contracts serving national emergency goals over other commitments.

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