By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday issued an executive order formalizing a White House council on supply chain resilience and mandating a comprehensive report by the end of the year, officials said.
The council, made up of Cabinet departments and other key officials, first met in November 2023 as part of the government’s efforts to improve supply chains disrupted by the COVID pandemic and tackle inflation.
The order previously reported by Reuters requires the council to conduct a supply chain review of industries critical to national or economic security every four years and complete the first report by December 31.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters on May 31 that supply chain issues remain a major problem. Companies “continue to look through their supply chains and realize enormous vulnerabilities as key components continue to be sourced by one company in one country.”
Last year, Biden invoked the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to boost investment in U.S. manufacturing of drugs and medical supplies, one of a series of 30 measures the administration announced to help industrial supply chains and historically high combat inflation.
The council is charged with advancing federal efforts “to strengthen long-term supply chain resilience and U.S. industrial competitiveness; identify and provide a coordinated response to address supply chain uncertainties, threats, and vulnerabilities, including excessive geographic or supplier concentration.”
Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, told Reuters this week that the government’s collaboration with the supply chain “represents a real change in the way the federal government operates. Recognizing that we need to maintain ongoing data on shipments and various areas where there may be friction. “
She and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg cited the council as a key factor in the rapid reopening of the Baltimore navigation channel this week.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)
