Wartime Production Law Has Been Used Routinely, but Not With Coronavirus

A technician testing ventilators at Bloom Energy, a fuel cell company in California that has transitioned to refurbishing ventilators.

WASHINGTON — Chemicals used to construct military missiles. Materials needed to build drones. Body armor for agents patrolling the southwest border. Equipment for natural disaster response.

A Korean War-era law called the Defense Production Act has been used to place hundreds of thousands of orders by President Trump and his administration to ensure the procurement of vital equipment, according to reports submitted to Congress and interviews with former government officials.

 

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Article URL : https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/us/politics/coronavirus-defense-production-act.html