On Wednesday, March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Product Act (DPA) to speed up and expand the supply of resources from the country’s industrial base, particularly to increase the production of medical supplies and equipment. 

“We will be invoking the Defense Production Act,” the president announced during Wednesday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing. Through the DPA, the President can, among other activities, “prioritize government contracts for goods and services over competing customers, and offer incentives within the domestic market to enhance the production and supply of critical materials and technologies when necessary for national defense,” according to a Congressional Research Service report. 

In relation to COVID-19, health care professionals are reporting shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks, gowns and gloves, that are crucial to keeping doctors and nurses safe from infection.