Governors have been pleading for direly needed equipment for their states. Still, on Thursday, Donald Trump passed the burden on to them, telling reporters that the federal government is “not a shipping clerk” for the potentially life-saving supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) explained to the president during a video conference on Thursday that his state lost out to the federal government on purchases of critical supplies three times, according to Bloomberg.
“I’ve got a feeling that if someone has the chance to sell to you and to sell to me, I am going to lose on every one of those,” Baker told Trump. The president reportedly chuckled over that.
Trump responded to say he still wants the governors to seek out their own medical equipment, such as badly needed protective gear for doctors and nurses as well as respirators, but he did acknowledge that the federal government has greater buying power than any state has.
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“Prices are always a component of that also,” Trump said. “And maybe that’s why you lost to the feds, OK, that’s probably why.”
Vice President Mike Pence responded at Trump’s request to say that “we want to facilitate all the states and the health care providers in your states to be able to access that supply chain as it becomes more robust.”
Trump told New Mexico governor Michelle Grisham when she raised similar concerns that he would ask FEMA to ensure there were no conflicts with purchases in the future, according to the news outlet.
Baker is reportedly activating the state’s National Guard to help amid the COVID-19 outbreak to help fulfill state agencies’ requests for “equipment, logistics, warehousing, and related duties.”
Trump, of course, is the head of the federal government, and he is supposed to be the president of all of the states. Trump has bungled efforts to fight what he calls an “invisible enemy,” with the outbreak basically shutting down the U.S., and when you put a narcissistic mad man at the helm, this is the outcome. The governors are doing a better job than the president.
Unemployment numbers are skyrocketing — but Trump doesn’t want you to know about that — the stock market is volatile, and grocery store shelves need replenishing. Trump’s fend for yourself attitude with the governors is a huge problem.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
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