Frosh, Attorneys General Urge Trump To Prioritize Coronavirus Testing, Production Of Protective Gear
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh has joined a coalition of more than a dozen attorneys general urging President Donald Trump to utilize the Defense Production Act to prioritize the production of critical items first responders and health care workers need amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, Frosh said:
"COVID-19 is a deadly virus that has resulted in tens of thousands of infected Americans and hundreds of deaths here in the U.S. Those individuals serving on the front lines, treating the sick and protecting public safety, should not be left without the necessary equipment to protect themselves and their families from this deadly virus."
In a letter, the attorneys general urge Trump to fully use the Defense Production Act to increase health care capacity, supply emergency and medical personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing capacity.
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"It is imperative that you fully use the Defense Production Act immediately to help get critical resources into our States," the letter reads. "We appreciate and support this effort to get supplies to those who need them. We emphasize, however, that a far-greater volume of supplies is needed and that the federal government must act with urgency and clarity to get those supplies to health care providers and law enforcement and other first responders as soon as possible."
Last week, the president said he would invoke the act but didn't want to have to use it, saying "nationalizing our businesses is not a good concept," CBS News reports.
READ MORE: What's the deal with the Defense Production Act?
In addition to Maryland, the letter was signed by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.