Posted on 04/05/2020 5:32:43 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON - As the first alarms sounded in early January that an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China might ignite a global pandemic, the Trump administration squandered nearly two months that could have been used to bolster the federal stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment.
A review of federal purchasing contracts by The Associated Press shows federal agencies waited until mid-March to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line health care workers.
Now, three months into the crisis, that stockpile is nearly drained just as the numbers of patients needing critical care is surging. Some state and local officials report receiving broken ventilators and decade-old dry-rotted masks.
“We basically wasted two months,” Kathleen Sebelius, health and human services secretary during the Obama administration, told AP.
Trump and his appointees have urged state and local governments, and hospitals, to buy their own masks and breathing machines, saying requests to the dwindling national stockpile should be a last resort.
“The notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile,” Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, said at a White House briefing Thursday. “It’s not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use.”
Experts in emergency preparedness and response have expressed dismay at such statements, saying the federal government must take the lead in ensuring medical supplies are available and distributed where they are needed most.
“States do not have the purchasing power of the federal government. They do not have the ability to run a deficit like the federal government. They do not have the logistical power of the federal government,” said Sebelius, who served as governor of Kansas before running the nation’s health care system.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
“The US may have but many of us astute FReepers didn’t.”
Tell me about it. There were probably more FReepers checking their prep inventories and topping off what was needed (and, if like me, buying more an more as things got worse and worse around the world), than there were people in the federal government doing the same.
They will have to make their case and explain why we weren’t considered at risk of Coronavirus, when it was breaking out around the world, and we still had hundreds (at least) of flights every day coming in from those countries, while we didn’t even bother to screen arrivals, to any significant extent.
“While the President was trying to pay attention to what was happening in China, the Dems were focused on destroying the presidency.”
And STILL are
NANCY-19 sat on the impeachment papers for many weeks, while the CV19 was allowed to spread and fully bloom.
The Fake Media and Damned Donkeys were focused on impeachment. This whole mess is a scam.
NANCY-19 sat on the impeachment papers for many weeks, while the CV19 was allowed to spread and fully bloom.
The Fake Media and Damned Donkeys were focused on impeachment. This whole mess is a scam.
Go see my post here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3831688/posts?page=32#32
for some insight into priorities at the CDC for the last 10 years.
Please excuse my prior post in advance. I’m sure the grammar police will soon visit me. I reread the post and I do know the difference between your and you’re. I also know the difference between there and their. My fingers get so pissed off the the media that they forget what my brain is telling them. They frequently misspell words, like ‘of’, instead of ‘off’ and ‘for’ instead of ‘from’ (not sure how that one happens, but it does.)
Monday morning quarterbacks.
Damed if you do, Damed if you don’t.
No, the House of Representatives (Democrats) wasted months chasing impeachment instead of doing their job. Never forget.....
The US has more fake news media that any other country in the world. Their job is to make Trump take the blame, but killing babies is their game.
The 1st confirmed case in the U.S. was Jan. 20, in Washington.
“The White House Coronavirus Task Force was established on January 29.[2] On January 31, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency,[5] and placed travel restrictions on entry for travellers from China.[6]” (wiki)
All while the dems were still trying to impeach Trump. Did the Dems see the impending disaster coming? Did they care? If so, they did nothing to help. Yet now, it’s all Trump’s fault.
Sillybus
Stalinists lie. Always
However: This was a failure first and foremost by China.
More like Mission accomplished.
Yes, there are a lot of “unknowns”. For example, it isn’t practical for hospitals to keep tons of these machines lying around when we’ve had plenty for decades - and they may be called upon every 100 years for an epidemic like this.
I do believe the “social distancing” will linger (in a good way), and I also believe some people will be moving/changing their jobs as they realize they don’t need to be tied to urban areas/surrounding suburbs anymore.
>>“We basically wasted two months,” Kathleen Sebelius, health and human services secretary during the Obama administration, told AP.
where the uck was this partisan bitch when a thousand died from a pandemic when buttboy Barry was president???
The Deep State more than appears to be complicit in this.
The lack of preparedness to downright destroying our healthcare system, much as Clinton did in downsizing our military.
I have no doubt they are still operational and doing their darnedest to bring this country down what with their dragging their feet and opposing everything Trump is doing.
And intentionally, likely as not.
They knew what was happening in China even better than we did.
If we here could figure it out and see it coming, I don’t believe for a minute they didn’t.
SEBELIOUS NEVER replaced them. That should have been in her purview at the very least.
She is pretty gutsy to complain now., but then Dems complain about everything except what they are elbow deep in.
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