NEWS: President Trump has declared a ‘national emergency’ to secure grid equipment. Here’s what the executive order actually means:

The latest: Trump claimed that foreign-supplied power equipment “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat.” His solution? He’s essentially giving federal officials, including Energy Sec. Chris Wright, sweeping authority to bar transactions they deem risky. The order covers critical tech like transformers, generators, and programmable logic controllers…and may require the replacement of existing equipment. 

Yes, but: This directive doesn’t cover “facilities used in the local distribution of electric energy.” 

The context: This announcement arrives a month after Trump banned sales of foreign inverters, citing national security risks. Meanwhile, US critical infrastructure operators are on edge after over 12 states reported possible cyberattacks on water and wastewater utilities.