WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is seeking to use powers under a Korean War-era law to cut off 3M’s ability to export surgical masks abroad and to claim more of the masks the Minnesota company manufactures in other countries for use in the United States. The policy would be a significant expansion of the American government’s reach and a reversal of President Trump’s hesitant use of the Defense Production Act, as his administration seeks to procure much-needed protective gear for health care workers. But some trade and legal experts fear the policy could backfire, causing other governments to clamp down on exports of masks, ventilator parts and pharmaceuticals that the United States desperately needs. They have also questioned whether the Defense Production Act gives the government the authority to commandeer goods made outside the United States. At a news briefing on Thursday evening, Peter Navarro, the White House trade adviser who has been put in charge of policy related to the act, said that an executive order the president signed on Thursday was aimed at directing 3M’s production to the Americans who needed it most.

Source: International New York Times April 03, 2020 16:07 UTC