Clinton Calls on Trump to Reveal If He Has Used Defense Production Act Powers
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants to know if President Donald Trump has utilized the Defense Production Act to speed up the production of medical equipment.
“Let’s try this again,” Clinton said in a tweet on Thursday night.
She continued, “Hospitals are already running out of ventilators and beds. Nurses are using bandanas as masks. If you’ve already ordered more with the Defense Production Act, tell us now.”
“If you haven’t, you’re failing to lead and failing Americans,” she added.
Let’s try this again, @realdonaldtrump:
Hospitals are already running out of ventilators and beds. Nurses are using bandanas as masks.
If you’ve already ordered more with the Defense Production Act, tell us now.
If you haven’t, you’re failing to lead and failing Americans.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 19, 2020
Trump announced that he was invoking the Defense Production Act to speed up the production of ventilators and other much needed medical equipment to help healthcare workers battling the coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on Trump to “immediately use the powers of the Defense Production Act to mass-produce and coordinate distribution of these critical supplies,” as IJR has previously reported.
The President must immediately use the powers of the Defense Production Act to mass produce and coordinate distribution of critical medical supplies & personal protective equipment. There is not a day to lose. #FamiliesFirst
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 19, 2020
Clinton, who ran against Trump in 2016, has previously criticized Trump’s actions and behavior when it comes to his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
On Wednesday, she accused Trump of “turning to racist rhetoric to distract from his failures to take the coronavirus seriously.”
The president is turning to racist rhetoric to distract from his failures to take the coronavirus seriously early on, make tests widely available, and adequately prepare the country for a period of crisis.
Don't fall for it. Don't let your friends and family fall for it.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 18, 2020
Clinton’s comments appear to refer to Trump’s decision to refer to the coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus” — which he has defended and suggested was not racist.
After signing the Defense Production Act, Trump said he only did so to use in a “worst-case scenario in the future.”
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