Trump Uses Defense Production Act to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence listen during a news briefing on the latest development of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on March 20, 2020. Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was using the Defense Production Act to fight the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus—commonly known as the novel coronavirus—two days after he announced he was signing an executive order invoking the measure.

Trump on Wednesday said he was signing the new order “just in case” his administration needed its powers to expand the supply of resources to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.