Letter to Robert Lighthizer, US Trade Representative, Michael Beeman, Assistant US Trade Representative, Terry Branstad, US Ambassador to China, and Darrell Williams, Lieutenant General - Cartwright Calls for Urgent Action to Prevent Protective Medical Equipment Shortages as Fight Against COVID19 Continues

Letter

Dear LTG. Williams, Ambassador Lighthizer, Ambassador Branstad, and Mr. Beeman,

Having spoken with hospitals, doctors, health care providers, and emergency management coordinators across our districts over the last week as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads, we have heard concerns that the United States will experience a dire shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if we do not act now.

Our health providers require PPE that includes N95 masks, ventilators, gloves, gowns, shoe covers, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and other essential basic supplies to address this outbreak. While we are glad to see the President has authorized the Defense Production Act and that the Department of Defense is providing 5 million respirators, we remain concerned that this will not provide enough supplies in time.

The urgent public health situation we find ourselves in has made clear the vulnerabilities resulting from our existing supply and sourcing structures. That is why we are requesting you prioritize working with our trading partners to find essential medical equipment and PPE that is readily available and avoid placing any new red tape or restrictions on medical providers as they seek to obtain this equipment promptly from available sources. We continue to support American innovation in this space, including efforts to manufacture more PPE at home, to work with private industry to switch production to PPE wherever possible, and to encourage American innovators to develop new ways to address the shortage, such as creating new methods to safely and responsibly decontaminate PPE for reuse. Unfortunately, not enough PPE is domestically available for immediate use; despite the best efforts of industry and the Administration, we must turn to our international trading partners for a rapid response to the current pandemic.

Additionally, we are committed to working within Congress and with the Administration on measures to improve our resilience and prevent this from happening in the future.

The limited supply of PPE available is hampering our ability to treat and respond to COVID-19 across the country. Proper equipment will ensure that we can transfer non-COVID-19 patients from hospitals, freeing up bed space. It will ensure that our health care workforce stays healthy and ready to respond. And it will bring peace of mind to every American to know we are better prepared to handle this outbreak.

Thank you for your assistance on this matter.

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