HUGE: President Trump to Use DPA to Keep Food on America’s Tables
Matthew T. McDonald
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President Trump plans to use the Defense Production Act to order egg and meat-processing plants to remain open, declaring them high priority essential infrastructure according to remarks from a person familiar with the matter.
According to the plan the federal government will provide additional protective gear for employees as well as COVID-19 guidance to the various processing plants that supply beef, chicken, eggs, and pork products to America.
President Trump signaled the DPA executive action at the White House on Tuesday when he said he planned to sign an order aimed at Tyson Foods Inc.’s liability, which had become a road block in the flow of food supply.
According to those familiar with the executive order it will not be limited to Tyson Foods Inc.
The President and his advisers decided to invoke the DPA amid estimates and projections that as much as eighty percent of the U.S. food production capacity could shut down.
Yesterday Iowa’s two U.S. senators and its governor urged the administration to invoke the DPA to keep meatpackers open and reopen closed facilities “as soon as it is possible to do so safely.” Iowa produces one-third of the nation’s pork supply, according to the state officials.
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