After Considering $1 Billion Price Tag for Ventilators, White House Has Second Thoughts

[spanone]

A deal with General Motors and Ventec Life Systems to produce tens of thousands of the critical lifesaving devices seemed imminent. Then the announcement was pulled back.

WASHINGTON — The White House had been preparing to reveal on Wednesday a joint venture between General Motors and Ventec Life Systems that would allow for the production of as many as 80,000 desperately needed ventilators to respond to an escalating pandemic when word suddenly came down that the announcement was off.

The decision to cancel the announcement, government officials say, came after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it needed more time to assess whether the estimated cost was prohibitive. That price tag was more than $1 billion, with several hundred million dollars to be paid upfront to General Motors to retool a car parts plant in Kokomo, Ind., where the ventilators would be made with Ventec’s technology.

Government officials said that the deal might still happen but that they are examining at least a dozen other proposals. And they contend that an initial promise that the joint venture could turn out 20,000 ventilators in short order had shrunk to 7,500, with even that number in doubt. Longtime emergency managers at FEMA are working with military officials to sort through the competing offers and federal procurement rules while under pressure to give President Trump something to announce.

By early Thursday evening, at the coronavirus task force’s regular news briefing, where the president often appears, there was still nothing to disclose, and the outcome of the deliberations remained unclear.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/us/politics/coronavirus-ventilators-trump.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

[Orrex]

1. Maybe he could take it out of that billion the Saudis gave him

Remember? Part of the help to make Trump forget the journalist that they murdered for him?

[msongs]

2. meanwhile he wants to sign a $2 trillion dollar republican launched bill nt

[spanone]

3. mind-boggling...

[ElementaryPenguin]

4. Dickwad wants billions for his medieval wall!!

He practically spends that golfing!!!!

[Grasswire2]

5. He could announce his immediate resignation

..and there would be great rejoicing throughout the world...

[Hoyt]

6. $1B sounds cheap for 80K ventilators. Hopefully, we won't need them, but

we might. If they can deliver fast enough, make a decision Mr. Ahole Decision Maker.

[shanti]

7. He acts like

it's going to come out of his own pocket.

[Snake Plissken]

9. Actually it's just the opposite,

He can't find a way to get the money to go into his own pocket.

[Blue_true]

10. Most likely reason. He could not work out a clean cut for him, his family or friends. nt

[Snake Plissken]

8. "White House Has Second Thoughts" ... roughly translates to

Kushner can not find any criminal campaign donors who manufacture ventilators that the Trump Crime Family would be able to get a cut of

[Initech]

11. They just gave giant corporations a $500 billion blank check.

They have money for ventilators.

[notdarkyet]

12. It's a Ukrainian position. How much money can he steal without getting caught. Stupid

Repubs should have convicted him so we could be rid of him. How much money do he and his brood get to rip off from us?

[renate]

13. "Ladies and gentlemen... the greatest country in the world!!"

What a clusterfuck. A high-casualty clusterfuck.

[uncle ray]

14. he's going to fuck us.

my employer was given the opportunity this week to manufacture some ventilator components. we've gone all in buying materials, tooling, etc. and have started first articles less than 24 hours after being given only a verbal go over the phone. i can see the rug being yanked out from under us. not something my company can afford.