Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, criticized President Joe Biden on Monday for what he called the growing and “irresponsible” use of a Cold War-era defense law to increase the manufacturing of baby food, solar panel parts, and other non-defense commodities.
Toomey, the senior Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, informed Biden that using the Defense Production Act in this manner disrupted supply networks and went against the law’s original objective to make commodities available in real national security situations.
Toomey wrote in a letter obtained by Reuters: “Congress may have to constrain the executive branch’s capacity to so easily use the DPA.” “If your administration continues to abuse the DPA and sidesteps serious questions about its use,”
The Senate is now under Democratic control, despite unexpected defeats in the November elections.
Democrats currently have the majority in the Senate, but unexpected defeats in the midterm elections in November might give Republicans more influence to limit DPA usage.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, used the DPA in March 2020 to direct General Motors to create life-saving ventilators and again in March 2019 to stockpile rare earth, the specialized minerals used to make magnets found in weapons and electric vehicles.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
