Biden reportedly set to invoke Defense Production Act to speed up COVID-19 vaccine production

"You will see" President-elect Joe Biden invoke the Defense Production Act after he takes office in January, Dr. Celine Gounder, a member of Biden's COVID-19 advisory board, said during an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box on Monday. "The idea there is to make sure the personal protective equipment, the test capacity, and the raw materials for the vaccines are produced in adequate supply," she added.
The wartime production law allows the president to order companies to prioritize manufacturing that is related to national security. President Trump invoked the act earlier this year after some hesitation to increase the supply of ventilators.
Biden's team has reportedly been stewing over whether to invoke the law, and Gounder's statement indicates they are leaning that way. It's unclear exactly how Biden would use the law, and questions of equity remain, CNBC notes. For example, the U.S. government reportedly agreed to invoke the DPA as part of its deal in securing an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. In that scenario, the law would "help Pfizer get better access to around nine specialized products it needs to make the vaccine," so there is concern Pfizer would be unfairly favored over other manufacturers. As things stand, however, only Pfizer and Moderna have vaccines approved for emergency use. Read more at CNBC.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Amazon's 'James Bond' deal could mean a new future for 007
In the Spotlight The franchise was previously owned by the Broccoli family
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans suddenly panicking about DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Trump and Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government, a growing number of Republicans worry that the massive cuts are hitting a little too close to home
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is JD Vance's Net Worth?
In Depth The vice president is rich, but not nearly as wealthy as his boss and many of his boss' appointees
By David Faris Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study finds
Speed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark chocolate tied to lower diabetes risk
Speed Read The findings were based on the diets of about 192,000 US adults over 34 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published