Biden turned to a wartime power his first day in office. Will he rely on it even more?
- Biden’s Defense Production Act use is notable given how often he’s used it and for varied reasons.
- Some say he exercised the act to make up for his agenda stalling and administration oversights.
- The White House says he used the act to take “decisive actions” that “continue to deliver results.”
On his first full day in office, President Joe Biden took advantage of a special, wartime power to supercharge the U.S. pandemic response, using a tool he would return to multiple times throughout his presidency.
In an executive order citing authority under the Defense Production Act, the new president directed his administration to secure masks, tests and other equipment in short supply. Biden soon ordered a 100-day White House review of American industry that concluded the act was a “powerful tool” that could be deployed beyond the pandemic and traditional military use.