Name: Trump Officials Ignored Company's Offer in January to Make Millions of N95 Masks
Brand: truthout.org
SKU: truthout-org-47
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Trump Officials Ignored Company's Offer in January to Make Millions of N95 Masks

preview

SharePolitics &amp; ElectionsRacial JusticePolitics &amp; ElectionsEnvironment &amp; HealthPolitics &amp; ElectionsWar &amp; PeaceProgressives on Saturday denounced anreport which detailed the Department of Health and Human Services’ refusal to take an American company up on its offer to supply millions of N95 respirators to the government early on in the coronavirus pandemic.TheWashington Postreported that federal scientist Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint last week over his demotion following his criticism of the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic, detailed communications with Prestige Ameritech in January in which HHS ignored the medical supply company’s offer to produce masks.The head of the Ft. Worth-based company, Michael Bowen, wrote to HHS on January 23, two days after the U.S. confirmed its first case of Covid-19.Bowen offered to use four dormant production lines to produce as many as seven million N95 masks per month, but was told by Laura Wolf, director of the Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection at HHS, “I don’t believe we as a government are anywhere near answering those questions for you yet.”“We are the last major domestic mask company,” replied Bowen, who at the time was fulfilling orders for masks from all over the world. “My phones are ringing now, so I don’t ‘need’ government business. I’m just letting you know that I can help you preserve our infrastructure if things ever get really bad.”In Bright’s whistleblower complaint, he described how he tried to direct Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec’s attention to Bowen’s offer in late January. Bowen wrote to Bright in late January following his communications with Wolf that “U.S. mask supply is at imminent risk,” adding a blunt warning, “Rick, I think we’re in deep shit.”Bright demanded to know from Kadlec why Bowen’s offer had fallen “on deaf ears.”“We have been watching and receiving warnings on this for over a week,” the scientist wrote.The agency’s refusal to take Bowen up on his offer early on helped lead to aweeks later, as healthcare workers across the country reportedof N95 masks as well as other personal protective equipment needed to stop the spread of Covid-19 in healthcare settings. As the Trump administrationseveral times that it wasfor making sure states had the supplies they needed, states were forced inwith one another over equipment orders that they placed directly with manufacturers.The details Bright offered in his whistleblower complaint painted a picture of “criminal negligence,” wroteNew York Timeseditorial board member Brent Staples.Criminal negligence: The U.S. government turned down a Texas company’s offer to provide millions of N95 protective masks— Brent Staples (@BrentNYT)PostWhen incompetence becomes cruelty. We have to fire them all.Prestige Ameritech offered to make millions of N95 masks in Texas. The government turned him down.. – The Washington Post— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter)This is horrifying: in the early days of the pandemic, the US government turned down the chance to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America.— Michael Birnbaum (@michaelbirnbaum)“I don’t even have words to describe how poorly ⁦Donald Trump has handled this crisis,” wrote Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) in response to the story.In addition to pressing HHS officials on Bowen’s offer, Bright was critical of President Donald Trump’s promotion of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19. The scientist had alsowith Kadlec earlier in Trump’s term, when Kadlec urged Bright to transfer $40 million from BARDA to the Strategic National Stockpile in 2018 to purchase a drug made by manufacturer Alvogen, the client of a lobbyist who had connections to the Trump administration.On Friday, a federal probe found that there were that the Trump administration unlawfully retaliated against Bright by demoting him.This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.Related9/11 fostered an anti-immigrant and racist police state. What we most need post-COVID is a society built on mutual care.The Trump administration regularly tries to control the messaging related to its coronavirus response.The pandemic has made clear that our survival depends on rejecting our life of precarious drudgery under capitalism.Get daily news, in-depth reporting and critical analysis from the journalists, activists and thinkers who are working to improve our world..

SharePolitics &amp; ElectionsRacial JusticePolitics &amp; ElectionsEnvironment &amp; HealthPolitics &amp; ElectionsWar &amp; PeaceProgressives on Saturday denounced anreport which detailed the Department of Health and Human Services’ refusal to take an American company up on its offer to supply millions of N95 respirators to the government early on in the coronavirus pandemic.TheWashington Postreported that federal scientist Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint last week over his demotion following his criticism of the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic, detailed...

public

Writer: commondreams, awomensthing, inthesetimesmag, billmoyers, ajam

Julia Conley

Truthout is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social justice issues.

Trump Officials Ignored Company's Offer in January to Make Millions of N95 Masks

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS