By Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers plans to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday to discuss supply chain issues, including semiconductor chips, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
One of the sources said the lawmakers, from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, are expected to learn more about an executive order the Biden administration has been discussing on supply chain issues.
The White House declined to comment.
The meeting comes as U.S. automakers have slowed production due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, scarce in part due to a pandemic-era boom in consumer appetite for more cell phones and computers.
Biden is planning to take an executive action mandating a review of critical U.S. supply chains, focusing on both government contractors and private industry with an eye to securing U.S. industrial supplies from competitors including China, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The order, which will mandate a 100-day review, will focus heavily on supplies needed to combat the COVID-19 crisis, but also include an analysis of critical technology and raw materials, the sources said.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier on Tuesday he has directed lawmakers to craft a package of measures to counter China, to strengthen the U.S. tech sector, including semiconductors, and address unfair practices.
(Reporting By Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper, Editing by Aurora Ellis and Leslie Adler)
