Ordinary people have been doing extraordinary things these days, but the federal government keeps underperforming. The government’s failure to make COVID-19 tests widely available is a prime example. Despite broad consensus on the need for COVID-19 testing, the number of those tested is far behind where it should be.

It’s time for something bold. President Trump needs to invoke the Defense Production Act to get large, capable companies to develop, manufacture, and widely distribute COVID-19 tests. Home tests, produced with consistent high quality, can augment existing testing approaches, enabling people to test without leaving home. They maximize efficient utilization of testing capacity, are more cost-effective than “brick and mortar” testing centers, can be deployed efficiently to where testing is most needed, and can be economically produced in scale. The government can provide them easily and economically to every person in the United States who wants to be tested.