House authorizers establish 'Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force'

The House Armed Services Committee today announced the establishment of a bipartisan task force to review the defense supply chain.

The "Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force" will be co-chaired by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). The group will "review the industrial base supply chain to identify and analyze threats and vulnerabilities," according to a joint announcement from House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Ranking Member Mike Rogers (R-AL).

Other lawmakers named to the task force include Reps. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Michael Waltz (R-FL) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK).

The task force's establishment comes as the Biden administration has launched a comprehensive review of U.S. supply chains, including the defense industrial base. The Trump administration conducted multiple reviews of the defense supply chain, identifying dependencies on China in areas like rare earth minerals and other critical sources.