President Joe Biden plans to issue an executive order to review critical U.S. supply chains to ensure the United States does not rely too heavily on other countries, including China, for technology and raw materials, according to people familiar with the matter.
Citing four people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported that Biden’s planned executive action will focus on government contracting contractors and private industry, with the goal of ensuring that the U.S. can supply goods and commodities needed to combat the New Coronavirus (Chinese Communist virus) crisis, as well as other critical technologies and raw materials.
Biden will sign an order calling for a 100-day review to ensure that domestic manufacturers can provide the goods the U.S. needs and that the demand for goods that must be supplied by other countries is met in a safer and more sustainable manner.
Two people familiar with the matter said that these actions will be followed by further reviews and actions by multiple government agencies over the course of a year. One of the people familiar with the matter has viewed a draft of an executive order that Biden will sign. The government agencies taking action include the White House NSC, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce.
One official said the actions Biden promised during the campaign would be implemented in “the coming weeks” and should have bipartisan support.
The U.S. has experienced severe shortages of masks, screening supplies and raw materials for vaccine production, hampering the country’s response to the new outbreak. In addition, rising diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China have raised concerns about a number of manufacturing shortages, including microchips needed for computers.
Recent Comments