Defense Production Act (DPA) (1950)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (50 U.S.C. §§ 4501 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
Originally enacted during the Korean War, the DPA was designed to ensure the U.S. government could mobilize and prioritize industrial capacity for national defense needs, including production, materials, and technology.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Built on WWII-era mobilization authority. After the war ended, much of that power lapsed, and the DPA reinstated and modernized it under a peacetime framework.