1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Executive Order on the Food Supply Chain and the Defense Production Act: FAQs May 1, 2020 On April 28, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to add
2、ress the food supply chain for meat and poultry products during the national emergency caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The release of the EO was preceded by some state and congressional calls for such an order, and significant media coverage about the potential contents of such an order. This Sideb
3、ar addresses some frequently asked questions about the EOs contents, legal bases, and potential effects. What does the EO do and how does it use the DPA? The EO designates “meat and poultry in the food supply chain” as “critical and strategic materials” under section 101(b) of the DPA. This section
4、of the DPA permits the President to control distribution of designated materials in the civilian market, if: (1) the material is determined to be essential to the national defense, and (2) that the requirements of the national defense cannot be met through other means “without creating a significant