7/10/26
Vishnu Tirumala explains the history of the Defense Production Act鈥檚 civilian mobilization authorities, and how they could be used to meet some of today鈥檚 challenges.
Our Work
The Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA) is one of the federal government鈥檚 most powerful and adaptable industrial policy tools. Enacted to support the country鈥檚 industrial and economic mobilization during the Korean War, the DPA gained renewed prominence as a key lever to expand production of vital public health materials and other critical resources during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The DPA contains several industrial policy authorities, including those empowering the government to mandate prioritization of its orders from private producers and to direct the allocation of scarce resources, and to engage in financial transactions to prompt increased production of strategic goods and materials.
VPA鈥檚 series on the Defense Production Act shows how policymakers can improve the DPA and more effectively use the Act鈥檚 authorities to meet today鈥檚 biggest challenges.
3/24/26
Joel Dodge and Todd Tucker examine the Trump administration鈥檚 use of the Defense Production Act to override state regulators to restart an oil and gas operation, and explore what this may mean for the DPA as an industrial policy tool.
5/29/25
Joel Dodge explains how the Defense Production Act could be modernized and strengthened to better promote geographic resilience for critical industries.
3/6/25
Joel Dodge explores the history of the Defense Production Act as a tool to combat rising prices, and proposes reforms to strengthen the DPA鈥檚 power as an anti-inflation law.
11/4/24
Joel Dodge provides recommendations for how to turn the Defense Production Act Committee into an effective coordinating and planning body to oversee the federal government鈥檚 use of one of its most significant industrial policy laws, and to expand agencies鈥� ability to deploy the DPA鈥檚 authorities.
9/29/24
Joel Dodge offers a pathway for public cloud infrastructure, illustrating how the executive branch can harness its authorities within the Defense Production Act to acquire semiconductors and other essential hardware inputs.