The Strategic National Stockpile has almost run out of personal protective equipment, including N95 respirators, surgical masks, face shields and other medical supplies that health care workers need during the coronavirus crisis.
The Department of Health and Human Services told the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday that the stockpile has been depleted, and the Trump administration will no longer make shipments of PPE to states, The Hill reports. HHS staff said that about 90% of the stockpile’s inventory has been distributed to states, and that the remaining 10% is reserved for federal workers.
House Oversight Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., ripped President Donald Trump for his administration’s response to the outbreak.
“Now that the national stockpile has been depleted of critical equipment, it appears that the Administration is leaving states to fend for themselves, to scour the open market for these scarce supplies, and to compete with each other and federal agencies in a chaotic, free-for-all bidding war,” she said in a statement.
“The President failed to bring in FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] early on, failed to name a national commander for this crisis, and failed to fully utilize the authorities Congress gave him under the Defense Production Act to procure and manage the distribution of critical supplies," Maloney continued. “He must take action now to address these deficiencies.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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