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

[CousinIT]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/supply-delay-fema-coronavirus/index.html

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 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.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

1. Gaaaaah...

Concussion from too many facepalms, sorry.

[D_Master81]

2. Shocking...

No one is surprised

[stillcool]

3. the lights are on, but no one's home.

The entire Republican Party, must be so proud.

[Yonnie3]

4. I would never have guessed this could happen

[SWBTATTReg]

5. An incompetent administration from top on down. I'll bet part of the problem is that if anyone...

down from rump in the chain of command is literally scared to do their job, and thus, critical steps are being missed throughout the entire admin., in order to jumpstart processes, etc. Rump is thoroughly incompetent, as well as the admin. he appointed (what little he appointed), being that a big chunk of them is incompetent in doing anything.

God help us, as well as the few remaining competent people remaining. We must forge ahead (like the states of NY, CA, etc.), otherwise, we risk being overrun.

In MO unfortunately, we have an idiot republican governor (not voted in), who waited forever until the federal government provided direction on a stay at home order (which they never did).

He finally ordered a stay at home order YESTERDAY, leaving MO embarrassingly one of the few states that didn't have a stay at home order. Whatever his stupid logic was in not declaring one earlier, we'll never know (well, we do know, a huge part of MO is rural (no excuse, states out west had stay at home orders too, much more rural than MO). Idiot has put Missourians in harm's way and he will pay for this.