Alarmed over a semiconductor crunch that forced U.S. carmakers to cut production, U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday vowed to bring an end to shortages of critical items.

"The bottom line is simple: the American people should never face shortages in the goods and services they rely on," Biden said shortly before signing an executive order to strengthen U.S. supply chains.

The policy announcement comes on the heels of entreaties from businesses worried about not only the near-term chip shortages, but also long-term reliability of rare minerals and other goods. 

Supply crunches also have emerged for face masks and other personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Biden's order will call for a 100-day review across federal agencies on semiconductors and three other key items: pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and large capacity batteries.

The U.S. president also will commission a more in-depth one-year review of sources for key inputs in additional industries to analyze risks to critical infrastructure and review steps to make supply chains more resilient.

Biden described as "very productive" talks with congressional Republicans at a White House meeting before the executive order signing ceremony.

"It was like the old days, people were actually on the same page," the president said of the rare show of bipartisan comity.

A White House fact sheet on the policy emphasized U.S. self-reliance, saying the U.S. must ensure that production shortages, trade disruptions, natural disasters and potential actions by foreign competitors and adversaries never leave the U.S. vulnerable again.

(Cover: VCG)