Trade war exacerbated shortage of medical equipment
March 27, 2020, 3:29 PM EDT
By Martha C. White
... White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is spearheading plans for an executive order to have federal agencies such as the Departments of Health and Human Services, and Defense obtain medical equipment and supplies from American manufacturers.
“We need to have them buy that from American producers on American soil,” he told CNBC.
Trade experts say the timing couldn’t be worse. “There's absolutely no reason at all to do that now,” said Michael O. Moore, a professor of economics and international affairs at George Washington University. “There's no long-term economic benefit to not allowing medical supplies to come in while we’re in the middle of a health crisis.”
Many of the key personal protective equipment items healthcare workers need are Chinese in origin. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, roughly half of the PPE items the U.S. imports come from China, and the percentages are much higher for some items: 70 percent of mouth-nose protective equipment and 57 percent of goggles and visors. Additionally, 45 percent of protective garments and 39 percent of gloves the U.S. imports come from China ...
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-s-trade-war-exacerbated-shortage-medical-equipment-n1170466
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