Title: Calling on the President to invoke the Defense Production Act to respond to COVID-19.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution calls on the President to (1) use all relevant authorities of the Defense Production Act to direct the domestic production of supplies to address COVID-19 (i.e., the coronavirus disease 2019), and (2) share specified information regarding the use of such authorities with Congress. (The Defense Production Act confers upon the President a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry in order to provide essential materials and goods needed for the national defense.)
The resolution also states that Congress stands ready to make additional appropriations available for this effort.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 906 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 906

   Calling on the President to invoke the Defense Production Act to 
                          respond to COVID-19.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2020

  Mr. Levin of Michigan (for himself, Ms. Spanberger, Ms. Porter, Mr. 
  Kildee, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. 
Chabot, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Upton, Mr. Rodney Davis of 
    Illinois, Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Huizenga) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Calling on the President to invoke the Defense Production Act to 
                          respond to COVID-19.

Whereas the Defense Production Act of 1950 originated from World War II 
        authorities and confers an ``array of authorities to shape national 
        defense preparedness programs'';
Whereas the United States currently faces severe shortages of medical supplies 
        necessary to respond to the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) 
        pandemic, such as materials needed to test for COVID-19, ventilators and 
        personal protective equipment;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is ``encouraging 
        healthcare systems to implement strategies to conserve supplies'';
Whereas, on February 29, 2020, the New York Times reported that a 2005 Federal 
        study estimated that mechanical ventilators for 740,000 critically ill 
        people would be necessary in the event of a severe flu pandemic, and 
        ``today, as the country faces the possibility of a widespread outbreak 
        of a new respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus, there are 
        nowhere near that many ventilators, and most are already in use''; and
Whereas failure to massively upscale the supplies available to protect 
        Americans, test for new cases of COVID-19, and treat people who test 
        positive could result in even more severe shortages that force health 
        care workers to make harrowing choices and endanger American lives: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls upon the President to make urgent use of all 
        relevant authorities of the Defense Production Act of 1950 to 
        direct the domestic production of supplies needed to address 
        the COVID-19 pandemic;
            (2) calls upon the President to immediately share with 
        Congress plans for the use of the Defense Production Act 
        authorities, including targets and timelines for the production 
        of supplies needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as 
        the results of the ongoing use of these authorities; and
            (3) stands ready to make additional appropriations 
        available to meet the needs of Defense Production Act 
        invocation.
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