A coalition of 16 attorneys general, including Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to fully utilize the Defense Production Act to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The attorneys general urged the act be used to dramatically increase the production of respirators, masks, and other personal protective equipment items needed by healthcare workers, first responders, and law enforcement.
Personal protective equipment includes items such as sanitizers, gowns, gloves, surgical masks, eye protection, face shields, N95 respirators, cleaning supplies, and thermometers.
“We are on the brink of catastrophic consequences resulting from the continued shortage of critical supplies,” the letter said. “The federal government must act decisively now and use its sweeping authority to get as many needed supplies produced as soon as possible for distribution as quickly as possible.”
Nationwide, there is a need for ICU beds and ventilators, as well as the reagents and swabs used for COVID-19 testing.
Testing must be expanded substantially to make better-informed medical decisions, to understand the virus, and to tailor their decisions to communities, the letter said.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul leads the coalition.
Attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C. also signed the letter.