Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Wednesday that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called for airline chief executives to organize an airlift to bring personal protection equipment to their state from China.
“I talk to the governor almost every day and yesterday he said he felt like a shipping clerk. He was calling the major airlines that he knew the CEOs to be available, asking and begging them to help Illinois secure goods from China, PPE from China,” Durbin said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he gave from his home in Springfield.
“They couldn’t get flights, cargo flights out. You know, I’ve got a very talented governor here, and he’s dealt with big business, but to think it’s his responsibility to airlift what should have been in the national stockpile is incredible at this moment.”
The senator added that Pritzker “was telling me about a producer, in our state, who has this equipment who is just playing hard to get when it comes to making it available. He is looking for a better price from another state.” Durbin said that the company was profiteering on a disaster, which is “unacceptable,” adding that President Donald Trump should use “every power at his disposal to mobilize” the country.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.