Coronavirus crisis subcommittee members critical of continued PPE shortage

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill were critical of the federal government’s efforts to secure enough personal protective equipment (PPE) during a hearing Thursday.

"Why is it that the greatest nation on earth cannot get a 63 cent mask to everyone who needs one?" said Rep. James Clyburn (D-South Carolina), Chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Clyburn questioned the federal officials involved in ensuring we have enough medical supplies.

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"How is it possible that more than five months into this crisis, our country is still facing the impossible shortage of 30 million N-95 masks this month?" Clyburn asked Rear Admiral John Polowczyk from the Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force.

"I have no visibility of knowing what states, local municipalities, and private institutions have bought so I did not add into this the hundreds of millions of masks that I know the state of California has bought and other states," Polowczyk said about the data.

The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers defended the federal government’s efforts.

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Federal officials said the Defense Production Act is allowing them to increase production of supplies and they highlighted the daily number of COVID-19 tests being given across the country.

“We’re currently conducting over 500 thousand tests,” said Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee. “We’ve got a chart right back here that shows the dramatic increase this country has done responding to the shortage of tests that we saw back in March.”

Federal health officials said they are alarmed by the spike in cases in states like Florida, Texas, Arizona and California but said the increase in supplies can help fight it.

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“The fact that we are in a much better position today in terms of our PPE supplies, treatments and testing, we can reverse these current trends if we work together,” said. Admiral Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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