Trump Promises To Replenish And Modernize National Stockpile With Eye On U.S.-Only Supply Chain
Speaking in Allentown, Pa., at an Owens & Minor distribution center for medical supplies, President Donald Trump said he is "determined that America will be fully prepared for any of the future outbreaks, of which we hope there’s going to be none."
The Associated Press:
Trump Says He'll Replenish Stockpile For Future Pandemics
President Donald Trump says he intends to prepare for future pandemics by replenishing the national stockpile and bringing manufacturing of critical supplies and equipment back to the U.S. His comments came the same day a whistleblower told Congress the Trump administration had failed to properly prepare for the current pandemic. “Wouldn’t that be nice?” Trump said Thursday during a visit to a Pennsylvania distributor of medical equipment. “My goal is to produce everything America needs for ourselves and then export to the world, including medicines.” (Colvin and Superville, 5/15)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Plans To Expand Emergency Gear In National Stockpile
The president said his administration is launching what he termed a “groundbreaking initiative” to “replenish and modernize” the government’s stores of masks, ventilators and other essential pandemic-fighting medical equipment to create a 90-day reserve. In keeping with his “America first” mantra, Trump and his aides said the manufacturing would be carried out by U.S. companies, diminishing the reliance on foreign factories that have been the stockpile’s major sources. (Goldstein, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Details Plans To Overhaul Medical Stockpile
Senior administration officials have for weeks been discussing measures to encourage the manufacturing of crucial supplies in the U.S., while limiting reliance on other countries such as China. The effort is being championed internally by trade adviser Peter Navarro and has faced resistance from some of the president’s economic advisers, according to people familiar with the matter. Business groups have warned the White House that limiting or discouraging imports of key medical supplies could lead to further shortages. (Ballhaus and Levy, 5/14)
Politico:
Trump Administration To Expand Strategic Stockpile For Pandemic Needs
The stockpile was designed for bioterror threats in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and not for a pandemic like the coronavirus. Retooling it toward pandemic needs could be an important step if a second wave of infections emerges this fall, as many public health experts predict. Trump also issued an executive order Thursday granting Adam Boehler, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, new authorities to issue targeted loans to support production of supplies to assist with the coronavirus response and recovery. (Lim, 5/14)
The Hill:
Trump Goes Without Mask On Trip To Pennsylvania PPE Factory
President Trump on Thursday went without a mask during a visit to a Pennsylvania medical equipment distribution center, even as other government officials in his party wore face coverings around the facility. The president toured and made remarks at Owens & Minor Inc. in Allentown to tout his administration's work in producing and distributing personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic. The distribution center has sent millions of N95 masks, surgical gowns and gloves to hospitals around the country. (Samuels, 5/14)
In other news —
Politico:
Pentagon Fires Its Point Person For Defense Production Act
Jennifer Santos, the Pentagon’s industrial policy chief who oversees efforts to ramp up production of masks and other equipment to help fight Covid-19, was fired from her job this week and will move to a position in the Navy, according to two people familiar with the matter. Santos took over the job of deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy in June 2019 after her predecessor, Eric Chewning, was tapped to serve as chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan. (Seligman and Lippman, 5/14)
CNN:
Mike Bowen: US Medical Mask Maker Says 'I've Been Ignored For So Long'
An executive for a US mask producer bemoaned, in heated and emotional testimony Thursday to Congress, how his warnings of insufficient domestic medical mask production had been ignored by the federal government for years until the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mike Bowen, the vice president of the Texas-based medical supply company Prestige Ameritech, said the US dependence on foreign masks has been a national security issue for years. (Kelly, Watts and Gloria, 5/14)
