US governors are still calling Trump directly and making pleas on Twitter in desperate attempts to get medical supplies
- Many US governors have reported little success in using official FEMA channels to get critical medical supplies for their hospitals from the federal stockpile.
- Instead, governors have resorted to making calls directly to Trump, appearances on television, pleas on Twitter, and lavishing praise on the president to secure federal supplies, according to a Politico report.
- Because governors haven't been able to rely on federal assistance, they've been involved in bidding wars for supplies with other states.
- "This is not something that we should ever be faced with," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, told Politico."It really is the federal government's responsibility to build those stockpiles, and distribute those during the time of crisis."
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Desperate to get critical medical supplies from the federal stockpile, US governors have resorted to calling Trump directly, making TV appearances, pleading on Twitter, and lavishing praise on the president.
And they say these frenzied attempts are more effective — and faster — than using official federal channels to get the coronavirus-fighting supplies their hospitals need.
"This is not something that we should ever be faced with," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, told Politico. "It really is the federal government's responsibility to build those stockpiles, and distribute those during the time of crisis."
US Governors are making desperate attempts to get federal medical supplies
Healthcare providers across the US say there are dire shortages of critical medical supplies for patients and medical workers, including ventilators, face masks, and medical gowns. Some hospitals have taken donations from nail salons and veterinary clinics and asked workers to reuse their limited stock of masks, which could put them at higher risk of infection.
In trying to equip their hospitals, US governors have attempted to independently secure ventilators and protective supplies. But without a centralized response from the federal government, they've entered bidding wars with other states.
The US maintains a national stockpile of the medical gear workers need to fight the coronavirus, though its stock is dwindling. President Donald Trump has previously attempted to downplay governors' fears that shortages will force medical workers to choose which patients will get treatment and which won't.
"[Ventilator] shortages have led to inflated requests," Trump said at a White House news briefing this month. "We have some states and areas that are just asking for far more than they need."
But local and state officials in several states told Politico they've had little success using official channels to get the equipment they need from the federal government.
When appeals to the Federal Emergency Management System (FEMA) fail or are too slow, governors have tried calling Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the White House's coronavirus task force. They've also tried contacting Jared Kushner, and trade advisor Peter Navarro, both of whom are leading efforts to secure more supplies.
If state officials don't have a direct line to Trump or his inner circle, some officials have resorted to complaining on television or desperate pleas on Twitter. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker did both and later received supplies from the national stockpile, according to Politico.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom found success in securing supplies by lavishing praise on the president — a change in tone from Newsom, who typically blasts Trump for his policies on immigration, civil rights, and climate change. However, the ventilators Newsom received from the federal stockpile were broken upon arrival in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Kelly, the Kansas governor, submitted seven requests through FEMA that were largely ignored until a reporter asked the Vice President about the status of the request at a news briefing, Politico reported.
States reported varying degrees of success in getting supplies through FEMA
The Trump administration put FEMA in charge of distributing supplies from the national stockpile after the strategy was initially handled by the Department of Health and Human Services. Much of the reserve has already been depleted.
Officials with the agency told Politico that they are in the process of distributing 250.6 million gloves, 25.1 million surgical masks, and 3.5 million gowns, and more the federal government they secured from factories abroad. Twenty-six flights have reportedly been completed with 54 more flights scheduled to deliver more.
FEMA officials told Politico that the agency directs 50% of the cargo on each plane to high-risk areas which are determined by FEMA and the CDC. The remaining half is used to fill outstanding orders.
However, states reported varying degrees of success in getting supplies through FEMA.
For Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the state's request for federal supplies was canceled without notice.
The applications are long and laborious, requiring seven days of data from hospitals before the agency even responds to a request, Brian Moran, Virginia's secretary of public safety and homeland security, told Politico.
And even after completing the tedious process, Virginia received less than 200,000 of the 3.5 million masks it requested and is looking at other avenues to attain medical supplies.
"We hope the supply chain will catch up when our peak is supposed to come," Moran said.