Amid shortfalls, Biden signs executive order to bolster critical supply chains

The significant disruptions of essential goods during the pandemic prompted President Biden on Wednesday to issue an executive order requiring his administration to review critical supply chains. The effort has bipartisan support, but administration officials acknowledge that the order would not offer a quick fix. However, it may help insulate the U.S. economy from future shortages of critical imported components. Biden discussed the issue on Wednesday with nearly a dozen GOP and Democratic members of Congress. Biden also ordered yearlong evaluations of six sectors and a 100-day review of four classes of products where American manufacturers rely on imports: semiconductors, high-capacity batteries, pharmaceuticals and their active ingredients, and critical minerals and strategic materials. The executive order did not target imports from any specific country, but it is being viewed as an early effort to address China’s economic effects. Early in the pandemic, China diverted exports of surgical masks and protective gear to its local governments and hospitals. China and India are also major sources for the active ingredients for making many drugs, including antibiotics and pain medicines.