The federal government, though, has so far not prevented domestic manufacturers of critical medical supplies from shipping that gear abroad. It did not provide detailed information on exactly where or when it distributed the supplies. The agency said that as of Thursday, it had delivered or was in the process of shipping 8,100 ventilators, 11.6 million N-95 respirators and a host of other equipment across the country. supply chain." It said priority would be given to hospitals, health care facilities and nursing homes, but did not explain how that would work. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency has sought to jumpstart the production of critical gear, governors have said its involvement has only made the bidding process for ventilators worse, jacking up the prices as states and the federal government compete for a limited supply.įEMA said "varying quantities" of the gear would go to "medical distributors in areas of greatest need," with the rest "infused into the broader U.S. The president on Wednesday acknowledged that the government's emergency supply of medical equipment, the Strategic National Stockpile, was nearly depleted, just as states like New York and Louisiana warn their hospitals may be days or weeks away from running out of ventilators, medical masks, surgical gowns and other essential supplies. "We're not an ordering clerk."Ī bipartisan chorus of governors, former officials and experts have said the federal government can and must take the lead, though - saying only it can harness the strength of American manufacturing and make sure materials get to the right states at the right times and at a reasonable rate.
Leaving no one official in charge of the all-encompassing process of assessing need, production, allocation and distribution, Trump has resisted calls from across the country to have the federal government harness its unique ability to take the lead, pushing responsibility onto state governors and arguing they are to blame - not him - for equipment shortfalls. With a diminished stockpile of medical supplies and governors warning of a Wild West-like bidding process for ventilators, President Trump has refused to take a larger role in helping states hit hard by the novel coronavirus outbreak, instead making states compete for much of the supplies on the open market - and insisting they are to blame for any shortfalls. The Washington Post reported the change, citing a tweet by journalist Laura Bassett. The supplies, medicines, and devices for life-saving care contained in the stockpile can be used as a short-term stopgap buffer when the immediate supply of adequate amounts of these materials may not be immediately available.” "Many states have products stockpiled, as well. “The Strategic National Stockpile's role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies," the website read on Friday afternoon. Retroactively matching what Kushner said, the website no longer says states can rely on the stockpile, but now says it exists to “supplement” them. Until Friday morning, the website of the Department of Health and Human Services, which maintains the stockpile, read, "When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency."īut midday Friday, hours after Kushner directly contradicted the language on the HHS website, the text was changed without explanation.
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