Joe Biden orders review of US supply chains’ reliance on overseas producers
- Federal agencies must increase domestic production in four areas: semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, rare-earth elements, automobile batteries, Biden says
- Biden vows to work closely with ‘trusted friends and partners – nations that share our values – so that our supply chains can’t be used against us as leverage’
The order requires federal agencies to begin a 100-day review process to find ways to increase domestic production in four areas: semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, automobile batteries and rare-earth elements that are crucial to tech and defence.
“We shouldn’t have to rely on a foreign country, especially one that doesn’t share our interests, our values, in order to protect and provide [for] our people during a national emergency,” Biden said at the signing, though he did not mention China by name.
“Building resilience will mean increasing our production of certain types of elements here at home. It means working more closely with our trusted friends and partners – nations that share our values – so that our supply chains can’t be used against us as leverage.”
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Shortages of personal protective equipment such as surgical masks and gloves devastated front-line health care workers as the Covid-19 pandemic surged a year ago. More recently, a chip shortage has forced automakers to reduce factory shifts and cut production.