A group of U.S. Senators recently called on President Donald Trump to address what they see as his administration’s mismanagement of the Strategic National Stockpile.
The senators want to know why states were left without the federal assistance and supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the overall health and safety of families across the country, in every single state. Dozens of states have requested supplies from the stockpile to ensure that public health workers, emergency responders, and frontline health care workers have the personal protective equipment they need to prevent the spread of this virus and provide the highest quality patient care to those impacted. However, your administration has failed to sufficiently respond to these requests,” the senators wrote to Trump.
It was signed by 16 senators, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
“It should not take public pleas from governors or letters from congressional delegations for states to obtain the supplies they need. The stockpile was intended to support a response to a large scale disaster, and yet, as the country finds itself experiencing exactly the kind of crisis the stockpile was created to mitigate, your administration has failed to respond with the urgency that is so clearly needed,” the senators added.
The senators specifically want to know how the administration is prioritizing requests from states, and who is making decisions about current distribution practices. Concerning the role of Jared Kushner, the senators asked to be informed on his direct interactions with the SNS and other established efforts, including the Coronavirus Task Force and the Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force. Other inquiries the senators want answered include why significant changes were made to the stockpile’s website on April 3 to align with inaccurate statements made by Kushner, and who in the administration requested them; what the current process is to replenish the stockpile and how this is coordinated with FEMA’s procurement process; and how the administration is working to ensure that the distribution of life-saving supplies is free from political interference.