Biden rushes to address global computer chip shortage via latest executive order

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden announces changes to the main U.S. coronavirus disease (COVID-19) aid program for small businesses during brief remarks in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday aimed at addressing a global semiconductor chip shortage that has forced U.S. automakers and other manufacturers to cut production and alarmed the White House and members of Congress, administration officials said.

The scarcity, exacerbated by the pandemic, will be the subject when Biden meets a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss the issue.