House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Donald Trump Thursday to "immediately" use the powers granted to him through Defense Production Act to ramp up production on critical medical supplies and equipment needed to address the coronavirus response.
“Right now, shortages of critical medical and personal protective equipment are harming our ability to fight the coronavirus epidemic, endangering frontline workers and making it harder to care for those who fall ill," Pelosi said in a statement. “The President must immediately use the powers of the Defense Production Act to mass produce and coordinate distribution of these critical supplies, before the need worsens and the shortages become even more dire. There is not a day to lose. We must put more testing, more protective equipment and more ventilators into the hands of our frontline workers immediately.”
Pelosi's call to action comes a day after Trump told reporters he had invoked the '50s era Defense Production Act (DPA) which would give him the authority to boost private industry production of critical supplies to address the coronavirus. Numerous news outlets then reported Trump's announcement, assuming it was true. In fact, it was just another ruse. Trump had neither activated the DPA nor ordered mass production of anything; he even tweeted that he would only do so "in a worst case scenario in the future."
Meanwhile, frontline health care workers are living that worst-case scenario right now, as they prepare to battle the coronavirus without proper protective gear to keep themselves healthy. Trump's failure to act, as only he can do as chief executive, threatens a total collapse of the U.S. healthcare system if frontline workers fall ill.
During the White House coronavirus briefing Thursday, Trump was asked about his failure to address the dire shortages in medical equipment like masks, gloves, ventilators, etc.
"Governors are supposed to get it. The states are supposed to get it," Trump responded. "Look, for years they bought 'em and now they're coming to the federal government."
Trump's so-called "whole of government" approach apparently doesn't include using the powers uniquely invested in him to mass-produce these critically needed items.
Thousands upon thousands of lives will be lost because of it. As Pelosi noted, "There is not a day to lose."
Watch Trump blame governors below.