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The Department of Health and Human Services listed 19 companies that have received contracts under the Defense Production Act to produce emergency supplies, including 600 million N95 respirators and face masks. But experts say it’s not enough and that the effort started far too late.
Only about half the masks ordered will be delivered by the end of this year.
It’s a problem that experts say could’ve been avoided. A former Defense Department official told CNN the administration lost months by not acting aggressively enough with the DPA early on, making it impossible to keep up with demand.
“I think a much more aggressive and early use of the Defense Production Act in probably the February time frame would have saved a lot of the heartaches we are seeing right now with respect to PPE shortages across the country,” said Kelly Magsamen, a former Pentagon official who served as the National Security Council’s senior director for strategic planning during the Obama administration.
In addition to giving out more contracts, Magsamen says, the government could’ve more aggressively used other mechanisms within the DPA, such as tax breaks or loan guarantees, to further incentivize companies to accelerate their production.
“The fact that there wasn’t an organized top-down federal response early and quickly enough, I think, has put us in a position where essentially everybody is playing catch-up, including the Trump administration,” said Magsamen.
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro defended the administration’s strategy. “We have not hesitated to use the Defense Production Act when necessary,” he said. “One of the beauties of using the Defense Production Act when necessary is that it has reduced the need to actually have to invoke it because we get voluntary contribution.”
The White House has been reluctant to take too active a role in managing supply production and distribution, putting the onus on states instead. President Donald Trump claims states have all they need — a point Vice President Mike Pence echoed during a coronavirus briefing last week. Pence also said the administration will be issuing renewed guidance on the preservation and reuse of personal protective equipment.
It’s all done little to inspire confidence among those on the front lines.
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