Trump Bets on Powers of Persuasion To Compel Big Business To Produce Urgent Medical Supplies

As coronavirus outbreaks ripple across the United States, President Donald Trump faces mounting pressure to use emergency powers to compel American manufacturing firms to produce much-needed medical equipment. Dwindling supplies of respirator masks, gowns, gloves and other basic protective equipment are pushing the nation’s front-line medical workers toward a breaking point. The nation’s stock of life-saving mechanical ventilators, used to help critical COVID-19 patients breathe, is dangerously low, experts warn. A growing chorus of politicians, medical professionals and hospital officials are pleading with the president to ease the deepening crisis by using his authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to mobilize U.S. private production capacity to manufacture the supplies. Trump did initially invoke the act a week ago, but he has yet to harness the act’s powers to its fullest extent: nationalizing production lines to crank out mechanical ventilators and other medical equipment. “The Defense Production Act is in full force, but haven’t had to use it because no one has said NO! Millions of masks coming as back up to States,” he said Tuesday in a Twitter post. Instead, Trump’s strategy is to persuade the private sector to do more. It’s part of the job that he has come to enjoy, playing businessman for the American people. He has involved big name corporations in his Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pande...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news