As healthcare workers are in desperate need of medical supplies, the White House is working to crack down on people hoarding them to make a profit.
âI have a very simple message that anybody whoâs got large quantities of any of this gear that American people need right now, if youâre sitting on that and youâre trying to charge high prices, weâre gonna come to get you,â White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said during an interview on CNN on Thursday.Â
He continued, âMy advice is, get it out on the market at a fair price and get it out today. This behavior will not be tolerated. And if you sell it at a high price today, weâll find you when all this is done.â
âSo, stop hoarding. This is not a time for profiteering. President Trump will not tolerate that,â he added.
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Navarroâs comments come days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans people from storing up medical supplies in a bid to prevent price gouging.
The order allows the Department of Health and Human Services to designate medical equipment as critical. It also makes hoarding and price gouging of that equipment illegal.
âOnce specific materials are so designated, persons are prohibited from accumulating those items in excess of reasonable personal or business needs or for the purpose of selling them in excess of prevailing market prices,â Attorney General William Barr said Monday.
âIt is a crime to engage in prohibited activity,â he added.
Navarroâs comments come as reports have shown that some desperately needed medical supplies are being sold for up to 20 times their normal price.
