GEIS-新闻详情

Supplies could be delayed due to confusion from the White House, companies say

2020-04-03 00:00:00.0 美国有线电视-特朗普新闻原网页

Washington (CNN)More than a week after President Donald Trump said he would authorize the use of a wartime-era law to force General Motors to produce ventilators, the company still hasn't received a formal order from the federal government. GM, as a result, hasn't allowed private companies or hospitals to place orders, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The lack of direction from the Trump administration has fueled confusion over how critical supplies will be distributed, when they'll be sent and where they'll go -- all as the number of coronavirus cases grows, along with the death toll.

The administration has pledged to help make up for supply shortages nationwide, but has resisted taking decisive action to answer those calls -- leaving some manufacturers scaling up production of equipment with little to no direction on what happens next.

Trump invoked the Defense Production Act last month, but had refused to authorize its use to distribute medical equipment and supplies, despite pleas from frustrated governors and hospitals. Governors have said they need Trump to take over distribution because the current process forces states to compete not only with each other but also with the federal government and international entities for critically needed medical supplies, like masks and ventilators.

Trump passes the buck as deadly ventilator shortage looms

Trump dismissed those concerns Thursday, saying, "They have that and they have to work that out."

"What they should do is they should've, long before this pandemic arrived, they should've been on the open market, just buying, there was no competition, you could've made a great price," Trump said at the White House. "The states have to stock up."

The President reiterated that position at Friday's White House news conference.

The business community, meanwhile, has implored the White House not to use the law, which gives the government the authority to completely control the supply chain, force companies to manufacture equipment and take over distribution and allocation of those supplies.

But the companies involved in making supplies still want more direction from the federal government.

One major manufacturer in the Southeast approached by the Trump administration to help make personal protective equipment is sitting on boxes of supplies with nowhere to go.

With production well underway, the company, which asked not to be named due to fear of retribution, told CNN it is still uncertain where its products are supposed to be distributed, with that guidance changing regularly.

In a statement to CNN, General Motors did not answer on the number of orders the administration had placed for ventilators, but said, "We are forging ahead and our commitment to build Ventec's critical care ventilators has never wavered. We are working around the clock preparing Kokomo to begin production as quickly as possible this month."

Federal officials have resisted the idea that FEMA should have a greater role in the supply chain, as many states are urging, saying that the agency "attempting to replace private-sector supply chains does not work."

Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who is leading the supply effort, defended the administration's approach in flying in supplies and peeling some of those off for the private market. "I'm not here to disrupt a supply chain," he said at a briefing Thursday. "We are bringing product in, they are filling orders for hospitals, nursing homes like normal. I am putting volume into that system."

JUST WATCHED Confused on whether you need a mask or not? Gupta has the answer

Replay