Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Witnesses urge stronger Defense Production Act committee and interagency coordination
Loading...
Summary
Members and witnesses discussed reforms to the Defense Production Act Committee (DPAC) and ways to strengthen interagency coordination, reporting, and resourcing to ensure faster, whole-of-government responses.
Rep. Young Kim and other members told witnesses that the Defense Production Act Committee (DPAC) was created to coordinate cabinet-level use of DPA authorities and urged reforms to make it an effective crisis tool.
Adam Levin of the Congressional Research Service said DPAC’s original remit included reporting on titles 1, 3 and 7, and that later reauthorizations narrowed its scope to title 1. "When the DPAC was established, it had purview for reporting on all of the DPA title 1, title 3, and title 7," Levin said, and he noted that the statute never required an executive director to be appointed and that the committee’s responsibilities had been reduced in later reauthorizations.
The nut graf: Witnesses recommended restoring DPAC’s broader statutory remit, clarifying membership and seniority requirements, mandating reporting, and considering direct appropriations or a rotating chair arrangement to ensure active, sustained coordination across FEMA, DOD and other agencies.
Levin outlined possible reforms: return DPAC to original interagency responsibilities, require appointment of an executive director, expand reporting requirements, and consider appropriations to fund DPAC’s work. GAO witnesses similarly recommended that FEMA, currently the delegated DPA-wide coordinator by executive order, better capture and share lessons learned from DOD’s lengthy experience using title 3 authorities.
Members suggested specific tools to improve DPAC function: statutory language that restores title 3 and 7 oversight to DPAC’s portfolio; mandated agency-level senior officials; required industrial-base assessments and improved reporting; and funding to staff the committee. Proponents argued better DPAC functioning would help agencies reconcile competing rated orders, prioritize investments, and accelerate supply-chain mobilization.
Ending: Several members said that stronger DPAC authority and resourcing could help translate congressional intent into coordinated executive action during crises, and they urged these proposals be considered as part of DPA reauthorization drafting.
