Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said that the automakers want to help, but are getting no direct communication and management from Trump on producing medical equipment.
Trump tweeted:
As usual with “this†General Motors, things just never seem to work out. They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, “very quicklyâ€. Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar. Always a mess with Mary B. Invoke “Pâ€.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
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Rep. Dingell said on MSNBC:
So I have been talking to the auto industry every single day. I talk to the CEOs every single day there’s clearly a lack of direct communication between the president and General Motors. They are trying to produce ventilators in their Kokomo, Indiana, plant. They are working with somebody who already produces it but not made the commitment. So I wish the president would do something to get them up.
Ford quickly looked at it, it was too difficult to get the ventilators produced quickly. So they’re now producing other PPE equipment and trying to find out exactly where it needs to go. Chrysler is making masks. All three companies — and as Mikie said, we’re all talking to other suppliers and manufacturers who want to do their part but we have to connect them.
Video:
According to Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Trump isn't even talking to the auto industry and helping them manage the production of PPE and equipment. pic.twitter.com/U4QlbLvpiD
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 27, 2020
Trump is refusing to invoke the Defense Production Act while lying to the American people about the amount of equipment that the private sector is going to be manufacturing and providing.
For every ventilator that Trump lies about that doesn’t get produced, people could needlessly die. For every delay in the production of PPE, first responders and medical professionals will get sick.
Trump’s lying and incompetence used to be a joke, but his falsehoods and ineptitude are getting people killed.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
