Finally, #DefenseProductionAct right? Forgive me if "your fired" reveal aspects of this aren't moving me. One co./one product, in months, is not what we need now and this seems about Trump's annoyance at GM. But, more directly, the best part of law is still underutilized. 1/
A short trip back to memory lane on logistics and how it works: multiple lanes of manufacturing, over-production, transportation and the challenges of the 'last mile' delivery. Here:
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The best, most immediate, parts of DPA are left on the table. What we want to see now is multiple damands, of multiple products, across multiple sectors. Waste is not relevant; over production just means that inventory can be sold after to states, private or international. 3/
Under DPA, Trump is authorized to compel manufacturing of products, but that focus has led us astray. The most important piece is the third section which authorizes POTUS to direct the civilian economy so that scarce and/or critical materials necessary to the national defense 4/
effort are available for defense needs. (An aside, "national defense" also includes "homeland defense" based on updates to the regs after 9/11 so we completely anticipated its use for a homeland security threat). 5/
Many of our needs already exist; the price gauging and/or hoarding we hear about is because these commodities are here. These aren't fights over FUTURE commodities (such as presumably the GM order) but ones that are being controlled by the seller in a desperate buyer's market. 6/
The weight of the NDA was in forcing manufacturing, of course, but also in controlling a market that was going to favor the private sector in times of national need; this is what Govs are complaining about when they talk about being outbid. 7/
So, call me a cynic. I'm not. Still have faith. But it's too little, too late, too limited of an order (if there is one, in the end, reporters please follow up!) with GM. Meanwhile, we have a seller's market and that's hurting our states today. The end. 8/8
