Defense Production Act Will Not 'Interfere' With PPE Exporters, White House Says

President Donald Trump’s decision to invoke the Defense Production Act for supplies of ventilators and N95 face masks (see 2004030063) will not disrupt U.S. exports that are “consistent” with U.S. national interest, the White House said in an April 3 statement. “Nothing in this order will interfere with the ability of [personal protective equipment] manufacturers to export when doing so is consistent with United States policy and in the national interest of the United States,” the White House said. The order is meant to target price gougers “with the ability to unscrupulously divert PPE inventories from domestic customers,” the statement said. “Today’s order is another step in our ongoing fight to prevent hoarding, price gouging, and profiteering by preventing the harmful export of critically needed PPE.”