(Bloomberg) -- Democratic nominee Joe Biden laid out a plan Tuesday aimed at bolstering U.S. supply-chain capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign countries in times of crises.
The plan, which packages many of the policies Biden has already called for in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, includes invoking the Defense Production Act to speed up production of urgent medical supplies, using federal purchasing power to bolster domestic manufacturing capacity and bolstering the supply chain for pharmaceuticals.
If elected, Biden would also initiate a 100-day review of national security risks across America’s international supply chains.
The goal of the plan is to increase domestic production, expand strategic stockpiles and have surge capacity during national emergencies. Senior Biden officials said the plan is not aimed at self-sufficiency but rather “broad-based resiliency.”
The focus on supply chains comes as the U.S. has faced shortages of critical medical supplies amid a global pandemic that has killed more than 130,000 Americans. Biden has been unsparing in his criticism of President Donald Trump’s stewardship of the crisis, faulting him for acting too slowly in responding and saying he has “surrendered” in the fighting the virus.
Biden’s plan also calls for using the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to spur medical production. And it would leverage federal health care purchases and reform the tax code to encourage pharmaceutical companies to make key drugs and medical devices in the U.S.
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