US exported millions in masks, ventilators, other PPE ahead of coronavirus crisis here

[Duppers]

Source: USA TODAY

American companies sold more than $17.5 million worth of face masks, more than $13.6 million in surgical garments and more than $27.2 million in ventilators to China during the first two months of the year, far exceeding that of any other similar period in the past decade, according to the most recent foreign trade data available from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The White House and congressional intelligence committees were briefed on the scope and threat of the coronavirus in January and February, but President Donald Trump has not stopped exports of key medical equipment – a move taken by at least 54 other countries so far.

The data show how U.S. manufacturers stepped up production and cleared out inventory to supply protective medical equipment to China for weeks, even as the threat of the coronavirus became clear. ....





Read more: https://a.msn.com/r/2/BB125TUq?m=en-us&referrerID=InAppShare

[Texaswitchy]

1. The Republican way.

Money before people.

[Duppers]

3. Exactly!

It has to hit their family, their friends before they give a rat's.

[MontanaMama]

2. Who got the money?

There has to be emails or call records about this, right? Who authorized this? Okay media, we know it happened. Tell us how it happened and who gave the green light. Do your jobs! Stop telling us the MF changed his tone at his presser. Tell us something real and important.

[Duppers]

4. The corporations & companies

Themselves.

Trump did nothing to stop them although it was well-known they were depleting supplies.

[MontanaMama]

6. Yeah...but which companies?

What CEO’s profited from the pilfering? Somebody knows.

[EarthFirst]

14. + 1

I want names. Faces. Accountability.

[2naSalit]

25. We NEED to know this.

I think my thoughts of a general strike have gone to a new place but I also think that many will rise up against this maneuver to go for the death strike now. It's We the People against a wannabe dictator. And we better get on it soon. Warm weather is coming and so are We the People. Having names of top tier enablers is where to hit first. This monster needs decapitation immediately... to late for bud nipping.

[marieo1]

29. How much lined dJT's pockets?

I agree, MontanaMama.........I'll bet DJT had his hand out and got a pay back. He is the worst of the worst, he and his whole family. It's all about them.

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

5. Remember "officially" we had only 15 cases heading to zero back then.

Because the dumpster and his idiot child-in-law refused to listen to experts and just kept making s&*t up.

[Turbineguy]

7. Trump wanted to be

a part-time president, because the job really didn't tax his abilities.

[mpcamb]

8. PRESS STATEMENT MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE FEBRUARY 7, 2020

https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-announces-assistance-to-combat-the-novel-coronavirus/

The United States Announces Assistance To Combat the Novel Coronavirus

"This week the State Department has facilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to the Chinese people, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials. These donations are a testament to the generosity of the American people.

Today, the United States government is announcing it is prepared to spend up to $100 million in existing funds to assist China and other impacted countries, both directly and through multilateral organizations, to contain and combat the novel coronavirus. This commitment – along with the hundreds of millions generously donated by the American private sector – demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak.

This assistance only adds to what the United States has done to strengthen health security programs around the world. For the last 20 years, the United States through USAID has invested over one billion dollars to strengthen the capacity of more than 25 countries to prevent, detect, and respond to existing and emerging infectious disease threats. Since 2015, under our commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), this support has helped improve surveillance and laboratory systems, risk communication, outbreak response, and address the rising threat of anti-microbial resistance.

The United States is and will remain the world’s most generous donor. We encourage the rest of the world to match our commitment. Working together, we can have a profound impact to contain this growing threat."

[JudyM]

12. Mebbe it would've been smart to think ahead and make sure we had enough here too?

[Lonestarblue]

18. You used a word unknown to this bunch of incompetents: smart.

[Duppers]

22. Bingo!!!

[Duppers]

23. Please see post #21 below.

Thanks.

[tanyev]

9. I don't think it was a bad thing to sell so much to China when they really needed it,

but it should have been obvious that soon we would need this stuff too and production should have been ramped up accordingly.

[Duppers]

17. Precisely.

"...production should have been ramped up accordingly."

[AtheistCrusader]

27. THAT is the crime. Not the fact that these items were sold/donated to China. They're human beings

just like us. They NEEDED that stuff. Wuhan had a 12% death rate. I feel terrible we couldn't help MORE.

The only real failing here, is our government then sitting on its hands, and not pressing to replace these materials, and stockpile more, because we were sure to need it and they were busy pretending it wouldn't happen. NOW it's a game of 'too little too late'.

[JudyM]

32. At that point in time they should've checked our stockpile because it was foreseeable that it would

hit us too.

[AtheistCrusader]

36. They convinced themselves we wouldn't need it.

And like everything else they tell themselves, they're wrong.

[ffr]

10. Russians wanted the govt run like a business, so that's what tRump is doing

Running the govt into the ground so its of use to nobody.

[IronLionZion]

11. That's where the need was at the time. They didn't expect it here.

now's it's America who needs this equipment. Countries who have some excess should send it.

Unfortunately some unscrupulous people are trying to profit from price gouging by encouraging states to bid against each other as some sort of hunger games.

[rickyhall]

13. Might be time to cage the "free" market.

[Timewas]

15. Yes

And,, we are probably buying them back now at double price

[cayugafalls]

16. Dumbest administration ever.

They installed a willing idiot at the highest level and we are paying for it, but they don't care because he does exactly what they want by tearing it all down.

Plus they get lots of money.

[ashredux]

19. The PRESIDENT is Profiteering from all of this....!!!!!!

That is why we saw Jared in the mix

[mathematic]

20. Nice to see our companies didn't hoard supplies from a country with a pandemic

Oh wait, we're supposed to be outraged by this? Takes all kinds, I suppose.

[Duppers]

21. We had a pandemic coming

And doctors and staff are now dying because they do no have enough PPEs.

But I understand your point: people should be helped, no matter their nationality. I agree, as long as the actions do not threaten U.S. lives.

In the meantime, THE TRADE WAR CONTINUES. Info:

"Hospital workers on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus are reporting dangerous shortages of supplies such as masks and gloves. Trade experts accuse President Donald Trump of politicizing the pandemic and risking the lives of first responders by continuing to wage his trade war against China.
...
Many of the key personal protective equipment items healthcare workers need are Chinese in origin. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, roughly half of the PPE items the U.S. imports come from China, and the percentages are much higher for some items: 70 percent of mouth-nose protective equipment and 57 percent of goggles and visors. Additionally, 45 percent of protective garments and 39 percent of gloves the U.S. imports come from China.

“China makes 120 million masks a day, while U.S. hospitals are asking volunteers to make them at home. We need Chinese PPE, ventilators and much more now.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-s-trade-war-exacerbated-shortage-medical-equipment-n1170466


Does make any sense? IS IT SAVING LIVES??

[AtheistCrusader]

28. China is coming back online and shipping PPE products.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001108158/article/patriots-plane-transports-12-million-masks-from-china

They just shipped a million to France, they just shipped a ton of stuff to Australia.

We're all human beings, guys. Everyone's in this. Yes, the Kuschner's and Trump's of the world will try and squeeze out their profit, but we are MUCH better off with China back on it's feet, than we would be if they hadn't gotten ahead of the problem.

[Duppers]

31. Why is tRump et al trying to limit imports?

From China with his trade war?

I am not criticizing China here.

Please read this....

"It has only been within the last two weeks that officials have exempted some of this equipment from Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, when the U.S. Trade Representative’s office suspended tariffs on a handful of Chinese medical supply imports.

Among the excluded items are disposable shoe covers and certain kinds of single-use masks, but Bown characterized these exclusions as piecemeal and inadequate in the face of a global pandemic, especially since the tariffs will be reimposed beginning in September, when some public health experts say the U.S. still could be dealing with the effects of the coronavirus.

“The exclusions are defined based on what some specific companies or industry groups request — but if there are other tariffs still in place and no one requests they are taken off, they remain in place,” Bown said. “The tariff exclusions that have been granted thus far are temporary, and there is no ability for the public to know if they are comprehensive in removing the tariffs from all COVID-19 treatment-related products.”
...
“The USTR comment process is not well suited to meet the urgency of medical supply shortages,” said Dean Pinkert, senior counsel at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, and a former commissioner with the International Trade Commission."

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-s-trade-war-exacerbated-shortage-medical-equipment-n1170466

[AtheistCrusader]

35. Because Trump is a raging jackass.

All these things need to be publicly tied to the death toll. Threatening his re-election optics is the only bargaining power we have over a narcissistic lunatic like him. When his base starts dying, he'll have to react.

[Duppers]

38. Yes! 👍

See below:
"37. Help! So much contradictory info..."

Thanks for your comments.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

24. What does he gain

By killing us all?

[2naSalit]

26. The crown he thinks he deserves.

Right before the oligarchy of haves execute him.

[SunSeeker]

30. K & R for exposure.

[flying_wahini]

33. And they are STILL doing it as we speak!!!!!

[dlk]

34. Criminal Negligence...

[Duppers]

37. Help! So much contradictory info...

My head is swimming.

So, do I have this right?

China makes most of the PPE manufactured, right?

We brought PPEs From China.

We shipped/sold PPEs back to China to help with the urgent need during their pandemic.

We are buying PPEs again from China because there is a severe shortage in the U.S., right?

Trump admin is imposing tariffs on these much needed PPEs, therefore increasing the price to U.S. consumers.

To beat it all, tRump is forcing States to bid again each other and the Feds for PPEs and lifesaving ventilators?

Anyone following all of this??

[pnwmom]

39. Not just "ahead of." We're still doing it. That is, distributors are still auctioning it off

to the highest bidder with cash ready, and that's usually someone overseas.

[OhioChick]

40. This has been the most incompetent adminstration I've ever witnessed in my life n/t