U.S. President Donald Trump today invoked the Defense Production Act to force American companies to produce medical equipment for use around the country as the Chinese coronavirus epidemic rages.
The president announced his decision in a statement sent to reporters, ordering “General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize Federal contracts for ventilators.”
Trump said that negotiations with General Motors were productive but that the company was “wasting time," reported Breitbart.
“Today’s action will help ensure the quick production of ventilators that will save American lives,” he wrote.
The President did not mince words when discussing the issue today during The White House Coronavirus Task Force daily briefing saying, "It's always a problem dealing with Mary [Mary Barra CEO GM]. We were promised 40,000 ventilators in March and now they wanted to deliver 6,000 in April, at a much higher price. We can't have that when we're talking about the health of the American people'.
The President had been reluctant to nationalize the nation's healthcare equipment manufactures but relented today after becoming frustrated with the speed the private sector was reacting.
“We’ll work in partnership with the private sector but where emergency exists and it’s very important we get to the bottom line and quickly, we’ll do what we have to do,” Trump declared.
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