WASHINGTON — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today praised the COVID relief package signed into law by President Joe Biden for including $10 billion in federal funding for the Defense Production Act (DPA). CPA supports reshoring supply chains in critical industries, including essential generic drugs and personal protective equipment (PPE). The COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious vulnerabilities in domestic supply chains and CPA urges the Biden administration to continue to invoke the DPA in order to increase domestic manufacturing in the healthcare industry, including for the COVID-19 vaccine, critical generics, and PPE.
“The stateless multinationals that have offshored our supply chains sometimes need presidential authority to serve to the public interest. The DPA is a critical tool that leverages our domestic manufacturers to rebuild our supply chains. President Biden and his team should not be shy about immediately using this additional funding and the authority of the DPA,” said Michael Stumo, CEO of the CPA. “We are pleased that the Biden administration has engaged with our members and how they can play a role in the President’s Build Back Better agenda. As the Biden administration continues to utilize the DPA to ramp up COVID vaccine production, CPA members are ready to utilize their manufacturing capacity to deliver millions of vaccines to Americans all across the nation.”
It is a national security imperative that our country is not dependent on unfriendly nations. At the height of the pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party threatened to withhold essential drugs from America. This threat reveals the inclination by some nations to use medicines as an economic and geopolitical weapon. We must have the capability to manufacture medicines and medical supplies necessary for the country’s public health and survival.
“Additional funding for the DPA is a welcome first step in combating America’s dependence on foreign nations for essential generic drugs especially antibiotics, as well as PPE, and other critical health care products,” said Rosemary Gibson, author of China Rx and Chairwoman of the CPA Healthcare Committee. “Going forward, Congress and the Biden administration must implement policies that address this serious vulnerability and support domestic manufacturers. Our country’s health and national security are too important to be in the hands of foreign nations like China.”
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