Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump's coronavirus failure has Illinois governor flying masks from China. We should be outraged
Trump’s coronavirus failure has Illinois governor flying masks from China. We should be outragedhttps://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/rex-huppke/ct-coronavirus-pandemic-trump-governor-pritzker-masks-testing-huppke-20200415-47kyrli73rfjxp23yx3w7ftdny-story.html
To get personal protective equipment for state workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, the governor of Illinois has had to spend nearly $2 million on charter flights that will haul “millions of masks and gloves” — from China.
That’s ridiculous. And it should make you mad.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency last week agreed to buy 750,000 coronavirus test kits — from South Korea.
That’s also ridiculous. And it should also make you mad.
In the span of eight days — from last Tuesday to this Tuesday — the coronavirus killed five times as many Americans as terrorists did on 9/11.
Five times.
In just those eight days, 14,974 souls gone.
And America, self-branded as the most-powerful country on the planet, is chartering flights to bring masks and gloves in from China? The U.S. government is buying test kits from South Korea because we can’t manufacture our own quickly enough?
What’s happening in this country right now — from the lack of widespread testing to states bidding against each other for safety gear to keep health care workers and first responders healthy — is outrageous. It’s a disgrace.
There’s no reason, more than three months into this pandemic, that the governor of any state should be having to hunt down gloves and masks in far-flung places. American companies should long ago have started producing the personal protective equipment that’s needed, as well the testing kits that are desperately needed to get a hold on this outbreak.
From the jump, President Donald Trump has had the power, through the Defense Production Act, to unleash the might of America’s manufacturing companies. Instead, he has been hesitant to use that power, costing states money, time and, undoubtedly, lives.
From the Tribune report on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s chartered flights: “Had the president directed American companies to produce more masks, ventilators and other equipment, ‘we wouldn’t be paying $5 or $6 sometimes for an N95 mask that in a normal circumstance costs 85 cents or a dollar,’ " Pritzker said.
...continued at link
----
trump has continually talked about the Defense Production Action during his daily rallies, but he's yet to invoke the DPA to require a company to manufacturer anything needed to help combat the Coronavirus.
Like the article says, not only has trump's inaction costs the states money, trump's inaction has cost American lives.
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
