FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor couldn’t give a clear-cut answer when asked about key supply shortages as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to overwhelm hospitals, during his Sunday morning TV appearances.
After telling CNN that FEMA has been shipping from the national stockpile for weeks, Jake Tapper pressed Gaynor on specific numbers on how many masks the federal government has been able to acquire and whether the masks have been shipped to hospitals.
“It is a dynamic and fluid operation,” Gaynor said. “The President appointed FEMA five days ago to manage federal operations and since I’ve been here, we’ve been shipping continuously from federal warehouses, and again, connecting, you know, those governors that need supplies to those who have it in the commercial sector.”
When asked if he has an estimate, Gaynor responded that he can’t give a rough number, but that “it’s happening every day.”
Tapper then pointed out how the inability of the federal government to give a number in terms of masks alarms doesn’t fill people with confidence.
Gaynor replied that he’s “not sure it’s about an exact number,” before urging the public against getting tested for the coronavirus if they’re not exhibiting symptoms.
“I ask every American: if you have symptoms, go get a test,” Gaynor said. “If you don’t need a test because you don’t have symptoms, don’t do it. That helps us. It helps governors, it helps your local community.”
Watch Gaynor’s remarks on CNN below:
FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor can't give a rough number on how many masks the federal government has been able to acquire pic.twitter.com/421ZYiXvcY
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 22, 2020
Gaynor similarly couldn’t provide a clear answer to ABC News Sunday morning, saying that masks have been distributed without providing details regarding timeline and quantity.
After telling ABC News’ Martha Raddatz that there are “millions of things” being shipped from the national stockpile, Gaynor said he can’t give details about what every single state or what every single city is doing.
Pressed about how many masks were in the strategic stockpile, Gaynor reiterated that “there are still supplies” in it and that “we’re prepared to go to zero in the stockpile to meet demand.”
Gaynor then went on to urge the public to not get tested for coronavirus if they’re not exhibiting symptoms.
Watch Gaynor’s remarks on ABC below:
Pressed on when the national stockpile of masks will be distributed to health care systems, FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor tells @martharaddatz "it is happening," without offering a concrete timeline or quantity currently shipped. https://t.co/0KKTBpoknR pic.twitter.com/5orNp91Zta
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 22, 2020
Indeed…it is a dynamic and fluid operation…because it is half-hazard response that has been lied about, ignored, denied, delayed for more than 2 months!
Meanwhile, while medical responders are running out of PPE like N95 masks, ICE Deportation Team is asking for 45,000 N95 masks!
https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1241463332223287297
Addendum:
Kudos to Invisible Hands (https://www.invisiblehandsdeliver.com/) in NYC for helping the elderly! It took them 72 hours to gather 1300 volunteers.
And might I add, this is something that the Covidiot Trump Regime should have been planning more than two months ago and implementing them now!
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1241333739042615299
Addendum2:
Apparently, the Covidiot Trump Regime is “launching a communications plan across multiple federal agencies that focuses on accusing Beijing of orchestrating a “cover-up” & creating a global pandemic” per Daily Beast.
https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1241488636622835712
And White supremacists are planning to use Covid-19 as bioweapon through “saliva,” a “spray bottle” or “laced items,”
No wonder there are lies, chaotic responses and shortages…
The Covidiot Trump Regime is focusing on finger pointing and racism!
And we’re fully stocked on paradigms and contingencies.
So in other words, another incompetent, inaccurate, uninformed Trump lackey. Did he praise Dear Leader during his media appearances?
From June 1948 to September 1949, the United States delivered 2,323,067 tons of food and fuel to the people of Berlin during the Berlin Airlift. And now?
"The Federal government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping. You know, we’re not a shipping clerk.”
Living here on the east coast I know its the responsibility of state and local officials to keep us informed,the MSM is giving New York Governor kudos for his actions,the problem I’m having how much is too much,he and DeBlasio New York city mayor are just doing overkill.My own opinion thus the many Trump lie pressers that we are seeing are Trump trying to keep up with them.Coumo like DeBalsio comes on and the capture all the local and national channels.