White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stumbled on Monday when she was pressed to explain why President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act for "clean energy" manufacturing.
On Monday, Biden authorized the Department of Energy to use the DPA to "rapidly expand" American manufacturing of solar panel components, building insulation, heat pumps, "equipment for making and using clean electricity-generated fuels," and power grid infrastructure.
Biden has invoked the DPA many times as president, invoking charges of abuse of power. Biden has used the DPA for the COVID-19 pandemic, materials used in the production of electric vehicle batteries, and the baby formula shortage.
The latest authorization does not explain how Biden's action bolsters national security.
At the daily press briefing, Fox Business reporter Edward Lawrence pressed Jean-Pierre about the rationale for Biden once again invoking the DPA.
"What emergency is the president using to invoke the Defense Production Act?" Lawrence asked. "What's the real emergency in the solar industry for the Defense Production Act?"
Jean-Pierre responded with a vague platitude.
"Let me — I was going to say, first, the president — you know, when he takes the Defense Production Act, it’s to make sure that he’s delivering for the American people. It is an important tool that he has used a couple of times, and it has been incredibly effective," she said before essentially recycling the White House's announcement.
06/06/22: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre youtu.be
"But what’s the emergency in the solar industry?" Lawrence pressed.
In response, Jean-Pierre admitted that Biden is using the DPA to enact his climate agenda.
"Well, this is just a step to get to a place where we do have a clean energy arsenal. And so, this is a very important part of the president’s agenda in getting to that clean energy system that he’s been talking about since he walked into the administration," Jean-Pierre admitted.
"So, this is that, and this a way that we felt that we can act to get moving in that way," she continued.
Jean-Pierre, however, never explained what emergency makes the newest DPA authorization necessary.
Later in the briefing, Jean-Pierre was asked how Biden's DPA authorization is "not a gift to Chinese solar manufacturers, many of whom operate with forced labor and are subsidized by the Chinese Communist Party?"
Jean-Pierre responded that the DPA authorization does not "apply to any materials imported from China."
President-elect Joe Biden said Friday that he will use the Defense Production Act to boost supplies needed to administer vaccines to speed up the nation's effort to inoculate citizens against COVID-19.
"We'll use the Defense Production Act to work with private industry to accelerate the making of materials needed to supply and administer the vaccine — from the tube and syringes, to protective equipment," Biden said
The president-elect did not name which companies would be tapped, but explained that his transition team has already been working on the effort, saying, "Even though we don't have the authority yet, go out and identify those companies that are prepared and will be able to do what we're going to ask."
"We need more vaccination sites," Biden declared in a speech. "That's where we're going to harness the full resources of the federal government to establish thousands of community vaccination centers. On my first day in office I'll instruct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to begin setting up the first of these centers.
"By the end of my first month in office, we will have 100 federally supported centers across the nation that will ultimately vaccinate millions of people," he said, noting that his administration would prioritize black and Latino communities.
Biden went on to say that pharmacies across the nation will also be empowered to administered the vaccine, much as they do flu shots.
"You have my word: We will manage the hell out of this operation," he promised.
During the speech, Biden was critical of the Trump administration's distribution efforts of the two coronavirus vaccines developed through President Donald Trump's initiative, "Operation Warp Speed." The Associated Press reported that Biden has called Trump's vaccine rollout "a dismal failure so far."
Biden Delivers Remarks On Covid Vaccine Plan | NBC News www.youtube.com
Biden's discussion of his plans to combat COVID-19 came the day after he unveiled a $1.9 trillion "American Rescue Plan" that includes $1,400 stimulus checks, an extension of moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures, and a federal minimum wage increase to $15 per hour.
The AP reported:
About $400 billion of the plan is focused on measures aimed at controlling the virus. Those range from mass vaccination centers to more sophisticated scientific analysis of new strains and squads of local health workers to trace the contacts of infected people.
President Joe Biden is looking north for critical mineral supplies while he shuts down major mining projects on American soil.
The Defense Production Act empowers the president to intervene in private industry for national security emergencies, not act like an autocrat.
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