Trump Administration Continues to Interfere with States' Efforts to Procure Supplies-- Even After He said the Federal Government wasn't a "Supply Clerk" and that the States Were on their Own

Over the weekend, the New England Journal of Medicine published a letter from Dr. Andrew W. Artenstein, M.D., of Baystate Health in Springfield, Massachusetts. about acquiring N95 masks.  It read in part:

As a chief physician executive, I rarely get involved in my health system’s supply-chain activities. Yet we continue to be stymied by a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the cavalry does not appear to be coming.

Our supply-chain group has worked around the clock to secure gowns, gloves, face masks, goggles, face shields, and N95 respirators. These employees have adapted to a new normal, exploring every lead, no matter how unusual.  Deals, some bizarre and convoluted, and many involving large sums of money, have dissolved at the last minute when we were outbid or out-muscled, sometimes by the federal government. Then we got lucky [on one order], but getting the supplies was not easy.

We were told to expect only a quarter of our original order. We went anyway, since we desperately needed any supplies we could get. Upon arrival, we were jubilant to see pallets of KN95 respirators and face masks being unloaded. We opened several boxes, examined their contents, and hoped that this random sample would be representative of the entire shipment. Before we could send the funds by wire transfer, two FBI agents arrived, showed their badges, and started questioning me. After receiving my assurances and hearing about our health system’s urgent needs, the agents let the boxes of equipment be released and loaded into the trucks.  But I was soon shocked to learn that the Department of Homeland Security was considering redirecting our PPE.  Only intervention by our congressional representative prevented its seizure.

At the outset of the crisis, Trump (in)famously told the states that they were on their own in obtaining supplies-- but yet he continued to interfere with their ability to obtain supplies and save lives.

On March 18, a shipment of 3 million masks that Massachusetts had procured via BJ’s Wholesale Club had landed in the Port of New York and New Jersey.  At the last minute, the federal government impounded them.  The same day, the state had confirmed an order with MSC Industrial Supply for 400 masks, to be delivered on March 20-- but yet again the federal government stole the shipment out from under them.

Several days later, Massachusetts officials confirmed two additional orders: one for hundreds of N95 respirator masks and another promising shipments of 35 ventilators.  The Trump administration again swopped in and absconded with both shipments. 

On March 25, Michigan Governor (and Democrat) Gretchen Whitmer requested that the White House issue a declaration of disaster-- but she didn't realize what kind of sadistic quid pro quo Trump had in mind for her.  The declaration would release critical federal aid and allow Michigan to obtain badly needed supplies. For each hospital in Michigan, the federal allotment of personal protective equipment is 747 face masks, 204 gowns, 4, 467 gloves, and 64 face shields.

On March 26th, Trump said that he was still considering Whitmer’s request., saying  “We’ve had a big problem with the young, a woman governor...from Michigan.”  Trump has a well-known history of responding in a hostile manner to powerful women who set boundaries or criticize his actions. When women speak out against Trump’s behavior, his narcissistic rage is even more out of control than when men speak out against him.

Finally, on March 28th, it was announced that Trump finally approved Whitmer’s disaster declaration.  Except for the gloves, the amount allotted to Michigan was "barely enough to cover one shift at that hospital. It’s not even a full day’s worth of shifts,” according to Whitmer.

On April 3, Colorado closed a deal with a manufacturer for an order of 500 ventilators when the Federal Emergency Management Agency swooped in and took it themselves, Gov. Jared Polis told CNN.

Colorado's order was canceled at the direction of FEMA, and the state was told by the federal government that it it was not on the priority list and the state would have to find its own supplies.  Which was was Colorado was trying to do in the first place. 

“We can’t compete against our own federal government,” Polis said. “So either work with us, or don’t do anything at all. But this middle ground where they’re buying stuff out from under us and not telling us what we’re going to get, that’s really challenging to manage our hospital surge and our safety of our health care workers in that kind of environment.”

The state of Illinois decided it had heard enough and came up with its own strategy.  Gov. J.B. Pritzker obtained millions of masks and gloves from China and brought those supplies back to Illinois on charter jets — but he’s kept the details secret out of fear the Trump administration would seize the cargo for the federal stockpile.

When word got out, the Governor's press secretary refused to provide details on the flights, saying only: “The governor has clearly outlined the challenges this administration has faced as we’ve worked around the clock to purchase PPE [personal protective equipment] for our healthcare workers and first-responders."  A source said the governor didn’t want to release details “because we’ve heard reports of Trump trying to take PPE both in China as well as when it gets to the United States.”