Most of the 100,000 ventilators Trump promised to have by June will not be available until the end of the month at the earliest, FEMA officials told the House Oversight Committee.
Without naming a specific governor Trump said Saturday he was frustrated that some states that have already received ventilators from the federal government were insisting they needed more.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have also expressed frustration over competing against one another – and the federal government – in bidding for supplies in the private market, which has led to price-gouging. FEMA officials have told the House Oversight Committee the demand for ventilators"outstrips the capacity" of the national stockpile as well as the 1,065 machines donated by the Department of Defense.
FEMA also points to the $16 billion allocated to build up the stockpile in the $2 trillion-dollar stimulus package passed by Congress last week that will help address the shortage.The Strategic National Stockpile, which is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, consists of several secretly located warehouses across the U.S. that contain emergency medical supplies.
Greg Burel, who served as head of the SNS for more than 12 years before he retired in January, said the stockpile was not initially designed for pandemic influenza but Congress began investing funds in preparation for such an event in the early 2000s. But the existence of the stockpile is aimed directly at helping states, according to Josh Gotbaum, a former assistant secretary of defense for economic security and executive associate director for Office of Management and Budget under former President Bill Clinton.
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