President Trump said Sunday that the Defense Production Act will be invoked to increase the production of swabs used for coronavirus testing. He and Vice President Mike Pence also promoted the companies that will be producing tests and masks during the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing.
Mr. Trump invoked the Defense Production Act in March to require GM to produce ventilators. Mr. Trump on Sunday said the U.S. is the “king of ventilators” and now the focus will be on testing.
Mr. Trump displayed a swab used in testing and said, thanks to the Defense Production Act, the U.S. will be getting swabs “very easily.”
Pence said he would be speaking to the governors of all 50 states Monday to discuss how the implementation of the Defense Production Act would impact testing going forward.
Pence said he believes the testing now available will allow states to “move into phase one” of reopening. The White House has outlined three phases for states to reopen, and some governors have said they will begin gradually reopening as soon as this week.
