WASHINGTON, DC – Following calls and pressure from U.S. Senator Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, President Trump announced he will use the authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to address widespread shortages for personal protective equipment and medical supplies due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The DPA authorizes the President to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity and supply in extraordinary circumstances, and to direct private sector firms to produce critical manufactured goods to meet urgent national security and emergency preparedness needs.
Medical supplies like masks, gloves, cotton swabs, ventilators and tests are short in supply and put medical professionals and patients at further risk. This week, Peters pressed the Administration to use this authority to address testing and other equipment shortages. Peters previously raised concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities in a December report.
On the Senate’s passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act: “…This is a meaningful step, but I think there's broad consensus with everybody in the Senate that we got to do a whole lot more, particularly given what we're seeing happening in this economy right now. We have to simultaneously deal with a public health crisis and an economic crisis at the same time, and it's going to take massive intervention to get through this.”
On providing relief to workers and families: “…This is a meaningful step forward to deal with folks who are suddenly finding themselves now unemployed, particularly now with closures of restaurants, bars, other small businesses across our country. It'll beef up unemployment insurance, make sure people can get that money coming into their household. It will also provide money for, for medical leave. Right now, many folks, particularly in small businesses, don't have paid leave. If they're sick and go home, they don't get paid. If they're … working with a sick parent or relative, they don't get paid. This will provide resources for those families to be able to pay their bills and to be able to put food on the table. It also deals with food assistance for those folks who are suffering a particularly tough time. And also, extremely important, is to make sure that everybody does not have to pay for a test. There are no co-pays when you go forward and get a COVID test. It'll be completely paid for.”
On the impacts of restricting the U.S. – Canada border: “…Whenever you're talking about trade with Canada, that's an important issue for us in Michigan. If Michigan were a country, we would be the second largest trading partner with Canada. We have two of the three busiest land border crossings in North America, between Michigan and Canada. But in terms of COVID response, we also rely on folks who live in Canada and come across every day to work. And most importantly, right now, we have thousands of nurses who live in Windsor, Canada and then come across the border to work in hospitals throughout Southeast Michigan. We have to make sure those thousands of nurses are able to come across the border and provide health care for people in our state. And then, we want to make sure there's clarification to the fact that they can come across and they can do that in an unhindered way.”
Peters has been pushing for aggressive, significant action to address this pandemic. Last week, he led introduction of bipartisan legislation to provide disaster unemployment assistance, called for the President to declare a national emergency, led introduction of legislation to require free COVID-19 testing and called on the Administration to re-open health care enrollment and address the testing shortage. He previously helped the Senate pass emergency funding, including $14.5 million for Michigan’s Coronavirus response efforts.
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