The Biden-Harris administration left America dangerously dependent on foreign nations for life-saving medications.
President Trump is putting an end to that dangerous game.
And Donald Trump just destroyed Biden’s legacy with this bold move that puts America’s health first.
Trump signs executive order to cut red tape strangling American drug manufacturing
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Monday aimed at slashing the mountain of regulations that have driven pharmaceutical manufacturing overseas and left Americans vulnerable to foreign supply chains.
The order takes direct aim at the bureaucratic nightmare companies face when trying to build or expand drug manufacturing facilities in the United States – a process that currently takes an absurd 5 to 10 years.
“It is in the best interest of the Nation to eliminate regulatory barriers to the domestic production of the medicines Americans need,” the order states. “My Administration will work to make the United States the most competitive nation in the world for the manufacture of safe and effective pharmaceutical products.”
The executive order zeroes in on three agencies that have created a regulatory logjam for American pharmaceutical production: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Each agency is directed to slash unnecessary requirements and coordinate with a single point of contact to streamline the permitting process.
Biden administration left America dangerously dependent on foreign drugs
During his first term, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to prioritize domestic production of essential medicines through Executive Order 13944, which he signed in August 2020. The goal was to reduce America’s dangerous dependence on foreign drug suppliers.
But the Biden administration failed to properly implement this critical national security initiative, according to the new order.
“Unfortunately, the prior administration did too little to advance these goals,” Trump’s new order states. “Critical barriers and information gaps persist in establishing a domestic, resilient, and affordable pharmaceutical supply chain for American patients.”
America’s heavy reliance on foreign pharmaceutical manufacturing has been widely documented in recent years, raising concerns about the security of our medicine supply.
This foreign dependence creates a serious national security vulnerability – a hostile foreign government could effectively cut off America’s supply of critical medications during a crisis.
Trump demands balance in FDA inspection approach
One of the concerning aspects of the current system is how the FDA treats American pharmaceutical facilities compared to foreign ones.
The Executive Order notes that “unannounced inspections of domestic manufacturers by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are more frequent than such inspections at international facilities” – creating an uneven playing field that disadvantages American producers.
Trump’s order aims to address this imbalance.
It directs the FDA Commissioner to “develop and advance improvements to the risk-based inspection regime that ensures routine reviews of overseas manufacturing facilities” and to “publicly disclose the annual number of inspections that the FDA conducts on such foreign facilities, with specific detail by country and by manufacturer.”
The order even requires increased fees on foreign manufacturing facilities to fund this heightened inspection regime “to the extent consistent with applicable law.”
Making America the world leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing again
The President’s move addresses America’s complex web of regulations that has put domestic drug producers at a serious disadvantage compared to foreign manufacturers.
Under the order, the FDA must review all regulations within 180 days and “eliminate any duplicative or unnecessary requirements” while providing “clearer guidance regarding the requirements or recommendations for site changes, including moving production from a foreign to domestic facility.”
The EPA is also directed to update its regulations within 180 days to “eliminate any duplicative or unnecessary requirements and maximize the timeliness and predictability of agency review” for new pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
When permitting requires an Environmental Impact Statement, the EPA will serve as lead agency with a single point of contact coordinating with the facility applicant, and the Office of Management and Budget will coordinate with relevant agencies to expedite approvals.
Trump fulfills promise to put America First
This executive order follows through on President Trump’s promise to rebuild America’s manufacturing base and ensure medical supply chains remain in American hands.
“We don’t want to be buying our pharmaceuticals from other countries because if we’re in a war, we’re in a problem, we want to be able to make our own,” Trump said previously.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to “permanently bring our medical supply chains back home” and to produce “medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and treatments right here in the United States.”
With this latest move, the President has taken another major step toward ending America’s dangerous reliance on foreign-made medications and creating high-paying manufacturing jobs at home.
The America First agenda continues to deliver real results that strengthen national security and protect American patients.
