President Donald Trump is facing criticism for invoking the Defense Production Act to keep meat processing plants open amid coronavirus concerns.
Shortly after the president made the announcement while meeting with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fl.), he was met with opposition.
Many lawmakers and healthcare workers have expressed frustration about Trump’s decision to use the executive order for meat plants while hesitating to use the act for medical supplies.
Those who have expressed frustration have also accused the president of previously ignoring the public outcry to use the executive order to make more N95 masks and ventilators.
Trump made the decision on Tuesday to invoke the Defense Production Act to keep meat processing plants open despite coronavirus outbreaks being the reason for the initial closures. The executive order is a means of preventing a possible nationwide food shortage and avoid disruption to the supply chain.
“Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency,” the order read.
The decision has not only been met with opposition by Twitter users but also by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). Shortly after Trump’s executive order, the union released a statement.
“While we share the concern over the food supply, today’s executive order to force meatpacking plants to stay open must put the safety of our country’s meatpacking workers first,” the statement read.
Smithfield Foods Inc., Tyson Foods, Cargill Inc, and JBS USA are considered the largest meat processing plants in the world. Several plants shut down due to coronavirus outbreaks in the workplace.
In fact, South Dakota’s Smithfield pork processing plant was shutting down nearly two weeks ago after over 230 workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
As of Wednesday morning, there are more than 1,035,000 coronavirus cases in the United States as the death toll approaches 60,000.