The White House said it plans to expand and restructure the strategic national stockpile.
The overhaul includes expanding domestic production of supplies and equipment and using technology to improve the visibility of the nation's supply chains, according to a May 14 news release.
The national stockpile was only 28 percent stocked when the pandemic hit, and with less than half of personal protective equipment being made in North America, the supply chain was extremely vulnerable to foreign production interruptions, according to the White House.
The White House said the stockpile will be improved by increasing supplies of critically needed items, integrating predictive analytics to determine needs and reducing the country's dependence on foreign supplies.
President Donald Trump is also signing an executive order authorizing the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. to provide financing to industries producing vital goods and services necessary to build the strategic stockpile, the White House said.
Read the White House's full news release here.