The DPA Modernization Act of 2026: An Overview : Congressional Research Service (CRS) , August 13 , 2026
The DPA Modernization Act of 2026: An Overview : Congressional Research Service (CRS) , August 13 , 2026
From the report: "The Defense Production Act (DPA) of 1950 (P.L. 81-774, 50 U.S.C. §§4501 et seq.), as amended, gives the President a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry in the interest of national defense. These authorities are currently provided in three titles:
• Title I: Priorities and Allocations allows the President to require persons, businesses, and corporations to prioritize and accept federal contracts for materials and services as necessary to promote national defense.
• Title III: Expansion of Productive Capacity and Supply allows the President to provide various financial incentives to the domestic industrial base to expand the production and supply of materials and goods critical for national defense.
• Title VII: General Provisions includes key definitions for the DPA and other miscellaneous authorities, including the authority to establish voluntary agreements with private industry and the authority to establish a volunteer pool of industry executives who could be called to government service in the interest of national defense.
Recent Administrations have used the DPA in several notable scenarios. Both the first Trump and Biden Administrations invoked DPA authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden Administration also invoked the DPA to respond to the 2022 Russian/Ukrainian war and for other policies it deemed important to national defense, such as investing in clean energy technologies. The second Trump Administration has invoked the DPA for multiple goals—for example, increasing domestic mineral and energy production."
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