defense production act

In a February visit to Pfizer's Kalamazoo, Mich., manufacturing complex, President Biden said the administration had "used the Defense Production Act to speed up the supply chain for ... key equipment, like fill pumps and filters, which has already helped

Health & Safety

Defense Production Act Speeds Up Vaccine Production

10:43am March 13, 2021

by Sydney Lupkin

A 1950 law allows the government to award contracts that take priority over all others for national defense. During the pandemic, the law has been used to defend the country against the coronavirus.

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President Biden keeps a note card in his suit pocket with the running tally of how many Americans have died from COVID-19 and how many have been vaccinated.

How The White House Got 2 Pharma Rivals To Work Together On COVID-19 Vaccine

8:41am March 03, 2021

by Tamara Keith

A 15-minute call with J&J executives on a Sunday afternoon stretched into a 75-minute turning point. "We have to take bold action and overwhelm this," a senior official said.

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The U.S. wants at-home coronavirus testing to be widely available, to help Americans return to normal life. Here, people wait in a long line at a coronavirus testing and vaccination site at Lincoln Park in Los Angeles.

White House Is Lining Up 6 More Contracts To Boost At-Home Coronavirus Tests

12:59pm February 05, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The investment will "rapidly surge domestic testing capability," said Tim Manning, supply coordinator for the COVID-19 Response Team.

Most of Texas is reopening despite a surge of cases in some places.

Amarillo Mayor: New Testing Data Will Help Track Spread As Rest Of Texas Reopens

5:25pm May 20, 2020

by Emma Bowman

Amarillo, Texas, has seen a recent spike in positive coronavirus cases, says Mayor Ginger Nelson, because of testing. She hopes this new virus data will inform when her community is ready to reopen.

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Health care workers drive by to express their support for nurses needing personal protective equipment outside the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif., on April 13.

National

Nurses Left Vulnerable To COVID-19: 'We're Not Martyrs Sacrificing Our Lives'

9:49am May 02, 2020

by Brian Mann

Many nurses say they've been fighting the coronavirus pandemic without proper safety equipment, and unions and professional groups are demanding change.

President Trump's order to keep meatpacking plants open is aimed at maintaining the kind of supermarket selection that was seen at a store in southeast Denver on Monday.

Workers Scared As Trump Orders Meat Plants To Open During Coronavirus Crisis

8:17pm April 29, 2020

The president invoked the Defense Production Act after more than a dozen beef, pork and poultry plants across the country shut down either temporarily or indefinitely in the past few weeks.

Gov. Jay Inslee squared off with President Trump during a call between the president and governors on the coronavirus coordination efforts.

FACT CHECK: Trump Says Call With Governors Had 'No Contention.' Reports Say Otherwise

7:05pm March 26, 2020

by Bobby Allyn

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee reportedly clashed with the president over his leadership during the coronavirus crisis.

A ventilator is pictured during a training in Hamburg, Germany, on March 25. The medical devices can be life-saving for patients with severe COVID-19 cases, but there aren't enough to meet the expected need in the United States.

Health & Safety

Ventilator Makers Ask U.S. Government To Manage Distribution

3:58pm March 25, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

Medical device manufacturers are asking the Trump administration to centralize decisions about how to prioritize which orders from states, local governments and hospitals should be filled first.

President Trump says he's not using his authority to control production and distribution of medical supplies.

White House Not Using Defense Powers To Boost Medical Supplies

2:37pm March 23, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

President Trump has issued contradictory statements about whether he's ordering private companies to ramp up production of medical goods. At the center of all this is the Defense Production Act.

A demonstration of a ventilator for future patients with coronavirus at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital in Ashdod, Israel.

Trump Invokes A Cold War Relic, The Defense Production Act, For Coronavirus Shortages

9:48pm March 18, 2020

by David Welna

A law that allows the executive branch to direct industrial production is being used to spur firms to step up their output of scarce items, such as face masks and ventilators.