The U.S. government has nearly emptied its emergency stockpile of protective medical supplies.

[Demovictory9]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

And in New York, where hundreds of new deaths pushed the tri-state region’s toll past 2,300, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pleaded for a supplies for his overwhelmed hospitals and desperate health care workers. “Really, the only hope for a state at this point is the federal government’s capacity to deliver,” Mr. Cuomo said.

The problem is that the federal government has nearly emptied its emergency stockpile of protective medical supplies like masks, gowns and gloves, according to a senior administration official, and some states desperate for much-needed ventilators received them only to discover that the machines did not work.

[world wide wally]

1. They should fucking tell us

[Historic NY]

2. They can't keep giving it away to China,Thailand,and other places..

note Thailand was sending us supplies. As I understand private people are getting some of the materials on that Russia plane.

[procon]

3. Trump probably shouldn't have sent a bazillion tons

of medical equipment to China, yeah? Talk about the Dumbest Deal ever! Trump is an idiot. He wants validation, he wants to be included with world leaders, but he's relegated to the tyrants table. So he's trying to curry favor with China, and he has no problem screwing Americans who desperately needed the supplies the gave away.

People are dying and Trump is responsible.

[Igel]

5. You remember the pandemic task force that was disbanded?

What do you think it did--sit in DC and color in maps?

One of the things it would do was provide expertise to help the other country. Don't know that China wanted much. Sort of secretive.

The other thing it would do would be provide a shitload of materials to help contain the outbreak. Sort of "fight it there so we wouldn't have to fight it here."

In other words, what would have happened? We'd have sent a lot of stuff to China.

It's what we say we want and are outraged didn't see happen. It's what we're outraged about having happened.

[Throck]

4. What happened to all the supplies I saw back in the 80s?

In my Navy days there were ABC/NBC warehouses on the bases in Norfolk and Bayonne. Apparently the US has let preparedness slip.

[DeminPennswoods]

6. Those belong to DoD and they are probably

still there.

[Igel]

7. Don't know.

The stockpile was established in the late '90s.

It was significantly drawn down under Obama. And it was restocked. But one needs to remember that restocking doesn't mean replacing what was there--somebody decided to have 1M widgets and 2M wugs when it was set up, and when 1M wugs were used the decision was that they didn't need 2M wugs, 1M would do--but they needed to have at least 1M thingamabobs.

The thingamabobs expired, and it turned out we needed at least 3M wugs. But you make decisions based on your data and predictions. Obama didn't know the future--he was worried about things he knew about, and this virus has thrown more than a few people for a loop.

[ananda]

8. And most went overseas.

The cruel absurdity of this whole mess is staggering.