Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is “infuriated” by President Donald Trump’s failure to help states obtain the COVID-19 testing materials and personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to combat the outbreak, the governor said on Wednesday.
Inslee told CNN that the states are now “scrambling around the world” to find those resources thanks to the federal government, which “would not accept the responsibility to help purchase this material.”
“And most importantly, they would not help to manufacture it,” he added.
The Democratic governor blasted Trump for delaying the Defense Production Act (DPA), which only presidents can invoke in times of crisis.
“[Governors] do not have authority to do that,” Inslee said. “So we’ve had to rely on the president making this decision and as I’ve indicated, he refused to do so for weeks and weeks.”
