Industry groups welcomed President Biden’s announcement Tuesday of a new effort aimed at addressing near-term supply chain disruptions to U.S businesses. The administration is organizing a Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and crafting strategies for six industrial bases that “underpin America’s economic and national security,” the White House said in a statement. 

The task force, building on an executive order announced in February, will address near-term supply chain challenges to economic recovery. Led by U.S. secretaries of commerce, agriculture, and transportation, the group will focus on areas where a mismatch between supply and demand has been evident: food and agriculture, homebuilding and construction, semiconductors, and transportation. It will convene stakeholders to diagnose problems and develop solutions — large and small, public or private — that could help alleviate bottlenecks and supply constraints. 

“For far too long, the U.S. Government has neglected its important role in strengthening the nation’s manufacturing base and instead has watched passively as other countries around the world invested in their manufacturing capabilities,” said John Mitchell, CEO of IPC, a global electronics industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill. “We look forward to working with the Executive Branch, Congress, and an array of stakeholders to reverse the erosion of the U.S. electronics industrial base and related risks to economic and national security.” 

USA Rare Earth also commended the White House for its “voluminous assessment” on the U.S. critical minerals supply chain. 

“The Department of Defense aptly notes that strategic and critical materials impact hundreds of sectors of the U.S. economy,” the New York-based mining firm said.

The White House indicated it would recommend Congress enact a supply chain resilience program in the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to create a focal point within the government to monitor and address supply chain challenges. This program should be backed with $50 billion to make transformative investments in strengthening U.S. supply chains across a range of critical products.