On the Numbers:
211,192 Deaths; 7,512,319 Cases
Since Pence’s June 16 Op-Ed Declaring That The “Panic Is Overblown,” There Have Been 5,387,843 New Infections and 94,791 Deaths in the US
On Endangering Others:
Pence Attends Tonight’s Debate in Violation of Normal CDC Quarantine Guidelines
Pence Attended Events, Rallies Even After Trump & Senior Officials Tested Positive, And After He Came In Close Contact With People Who’ve Tested Positive Since the Amy Coney Barrett Announcement Super-Spreader Event
Pence and Trump Endangered Gold Star Families, Service Members, and Veterans at an Indoor Event on September 27; At Least One Attendee Has Tested Positive Since
On Downplaying Threat of the Virus
Like Trump, Pence Downplayed The Threat of COVID-19 In Public Comments and in His Failure to Adhere to Safety Guidelines and by Flouting Mitigation Efforts Like Mask-Wearing
As The United States Passed 170,000 Coronavirus Deaths In August, Pence Declared That He “Couldn’t Be More Proud” Of Trump’s Response To The Pandemic
In Mid-June, Pence Encouraged Governors To Repeat The Lie That Cases Were Spiking In States Because Of An Increase In Testing
In June, Pence Downplayed Massive Surges Across The South As Localized Flare-Ups
Pence Praised Georgia’s Unsafe Economic Reopening As An “Example To The Nation”
On Political Interference with Independent Agencies
Like Trump, Pence Has Politicized Independent Scientific Agencies as Head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force
Pence’s Staff Pushed The CDC To Loosen School Reopening Guidelines, Even Seeking Out “Alternate” Data That Would Suggest The Pandemic Was Weakening
Pence Office Reined In Appearances Of The WH Coronavirus Task Force, Prompting Allegations That Dr. Anthony Fauci Was Being “Muzzled”
On Staff Speaking Out:
A Former Pence Aide, Olivia Troye, Quit Over Pence’s Leadership of the WH Coronavirus Task Force and Trump’s Failure on the Virus
The worsening state of the coronavirus crisis is as much the fault of Vice President Pence as it is the fault of President Donald Trump. At every juncture since the pandemic began, Pence has stood alongside the President and lied to Americans, downplaying the risks of the virus and undercutting the science.
He lied in June when he claimed we were “winning the fight,” against the virus, just as a devastating wave began to overtake the south. He lied in September when he said that he and Trump “gave the American people the facts.” And he’ll no doubt lie tonight, as cases rise both in the White House and across the country, in a desperate attempt to rescue the plummeting Trump-Pence reelection prospects.
Despite Extremely Close Contact and Almost Certain Exposure to the Virus, Pence Is Continuing to Campaign, Debate, and Put Americans at Risk
Pence Initially Refused To Use A Plexiglass Screen In Tonight’s Debate Despite The Outbreak At The White House. “Mike Pence’s team agreed Tuesday night to allow the Commission on Presidential Debates to erect a plexiglass barrier near the vice president for Wednesday’s debate in Salt Lake City, a Pence aide and commission member told CNN, bringing an end for now the negotiations over coronavirus safety precautions around the contest. Pence’s team made clear throughout the week that they thought putting any plexiglass barriers near the vice president was unnecessary and that they opposed such a move. Sen. Kamala Harris’ team, however, wanted the plexiglass barriers, in part, because of the ongoing spread of coronavirus inside the White House and the fact that Pence attended a Rose Garden event over a week ago that may have been the genesis of the spread.” [CNN, 10/6/20]
Columbia Virologist Angela Rasmussen Says That The CDC’s Conclusion That It’s Safe For Pence To Debate Violates The CDC’s Own Guidance. “So the CDC Director greenlighted Pence for tonight’s debate, saying ‘the CDC concludes from a public health standpoint, it is safe for the Vice President to participate in the upcoming Vice-Presidential debate.’ But this violates their own guidance. CDC guidance is very clear. People who have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days. Dr. Redfield cited Pence’s repeated negative tests as the reason he’s safe to debate. The CDC states explicitly that ‘even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.’ The CDC guidance also provides several helpful scenarios, two of which apply to VP Pence.” [Twitter, @angie_rasmussen, 10/7/20]
- Pence Attended Two Public Events With President Trump AFTER The Amy Coney Barrett Event On September 26. “First, [CDC guidance] says [Pence should] have quarantined as soon as President Trump was diagnosed and continued to do so for 14 days from his last contact. He didn’t do that. He attended two public events with President Trump after the Amy Coney Barrett event on September 26, the last being a coronavirus test kit press conference on September 28.” [Twitter, @angie_rasmussen, 10/7/20]
- Pence Had Close Contact With Trump In The Last Week, Including In The Oval Office. “Although Pence’s physician says he didn’t have ‘close contact’ with a known COVID case, that is demonstrably untrue. On September 27, he was in the front row of a reception in the East Room where Trump spoke & on September 28, he shared a stage with Trump… Pence claimed that he visited President Trump in the Oval Office on the day of the [presidential] debate. Being in the same office, likely unmasked, counts as close contact. That means he should be quarantining until October 13th. It is irresponsible for VP Pence to debate Senator Harris in person tonight, and it is unfortunate that the director of the CDC has chosen to overrule his own agency’s guidelines. There is no reason why the debate can’t be held remotely.” [Twitter, @angie_rasmussen, 10/7/20]
Pence Is Traveling Despite Having Been In “Frequent Close Contact” With President Trump This Week. “Vice President Mike Pence has tested negative for Covid-19 a third time, an administration official said Sunday, after traveling to multiple states for indoor and outdoor events, participating in numerous White House events and meetings and having been in frequent close contact with President Donald Trump this week… Despite the clear need to keep the vice president completely safe and minimize any risk of contracting the virus, Pence is expected to travel on Monday ahead of the vice presidential debate. It’s unclear how long the President will remain hospitalized, and whether he would still be at Walter Reed when Pence travels. His doctor would not put a date on his expected return to the White House.” [CNN, 10/4/20]
Pence Put Gold Star Families, Service Members, And Veterans At Risk At An Indoors, September 27 Gold Star Families Reception With President Trump. At Least One Attendee, Adm. Charles W. Ray Of The Coast Guard, Has Since Tested Positive For The Virus. “The White House’s handling of an event for the family members of deceased U.S. troops was thrust into a new light on Tuesday amid the disclosure that a Coast Guard admiral who attended has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing some of the military’s top generals and admirals into quarantine. The Sept. 27 ceremony, held on Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day with dozens of people in attendance, recognized the families of 20 deceased service members, according to a copy of the event program obtained by The Washington Post. President Trump, Vice President Pence, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and some of the military’s top generals and admirals were also at the event, which was held in the East Room. Most attendees did not wear masks or maintain social distancing, White House photographs of the event show. Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, the service said in a statement on Tuesday. He had begun experiencing mild symptoms over the weekend, a week after attending the Gold Star event, but ‘is in good spirits,’ Rear Adm. Jon Hickey, a senior Coast Guard spokesman, said in the statement.” [Washington Post, 10/6/20]
[Flickr, The White House, 9/27/20]
Pence Attended The September 26 Supreme Court Nomination Event Of Judge Amy Coney Barrett And Sat Close To Individuals Who Have Tested Positive, Including In Front Of Sen. Mike Lee. “First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence sit among guests attending a ceremony celebrating the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in the White House Rose Garden on September 26, 2020.” [Mother Jones, 10/3/20]
[Mother Jones, 10/3/20]
Pence Has Downplayed the Pandemic Since the Beginning, Misled Americans, and Praised President Trump’s Botched Response
A Senior Aide To Vice President Pence Left The White House Amid The Trump Administration’s “Flat-Out Disregard For Human Life.” “President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic showed a ‘flat-out disregard for human life’ because his ‘main concern was the economy and his reelection,’ according to a senior adviser on the White House coronavirus task force who left the White House in August. Olivia Troye, who worked as homeland security, counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser to Vice President Pence for two years, said that the administration’s response cost lives and that she will vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden this fall because of her experience in the Trump White House… Senior aides to Pence held a contemptuous view of the administration’s scientists and tried to project a far too rosy outlook about the virus with cherry-picked data — and key public health agencies including the CDC were marginalized throughout her tenure, Troye said. Advisers were afraid to express positions contrary to the president’s views because they feared a public denunciation or ‘that they would be cut out,’ she said.” [Washington Post, 9/17/20]
As The United States Passed 200,000 Deaths In September, The Most Of Any Country In The World, Pence Downplayed The Death Total And Claimed That The Administration Had Saved Hundreds Of Thousands Of Lives. “‘I know in my heart that we have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives,’ he said. Pence’s comments, however, are a stark contrast to the reality the U.S. faces as it continues to lead the world in Covid-19 cases and deaths. Just five months ago, even 100,000 deaths were unfathomable to Trump, who said: ‘Minimal numbers were going to be 100,000 people. And we’re going to be, hopefully, far below that.’” [Politico, 9/22/20]
Pence Has Denied That President Trump’s Attempts To Downplay The Virus Hampered The Administration’s Response, And Claimed That They “Gave The American People The Facts.” “Vice President Pence on [September 10] denied that the country’s response to the coronavirus was in any way hampered by President Trump repeatedly downplaying the threat from the deadly disease. ‘Absolutely not,’ Pence said on Fox News when asked if Trump’s public dismissiveness of the virus limited the ability of the U.S. to contain the pandemic. ‘His tone was one of projecting calm and confidence,’ Pence said. ‘But I heard him at that podium, I heard him at every setting. We gave the American people the facts.’” [The Hill, 9/10/20]
As The United States Passed 170,000 Coronavirus Deaths In August, Pence Declared That He “Couldn’t Be More Proud” Of Trump’s Response To The Pandemic. “Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Friday, saying he ‘couldn’t be more proud’ of President Donald Trump’s leadership, despite millions of active cases across the country and a death toll above 170,000. ‘I couldn’t be more proud of the leadership President Trump is provided from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic,’ Pence told GMA anchor George Stephanopoulos, citing Trump’s suspension of travel from China in late January.” [ABC News, 8/21/20]
In Mid-June, Pence Encouraged Governors To Repeat The Lie That Cases Were Spiking In States Because Of An Increase In Testing. “Vice President Mike Pence encouraged governors on Monday to adopt the administration’s explanation that a rise in testing was a reason behind new coronavirus outbreaks, even though testing data has shown that such a claim is misleading. ‘I would just encourage you all, as we talk about these things, to make sure and continue to explain to your citizens the magnitude of increase in testing,’ Mr. Pence said on a call with governors, audio of which was obtained by The New York Times. ‘And that in most of the cases where we are seeing some marginal rise in number, that’s more a result of the extraordinary work you’re doing.’” [The New York Times, 6/15/20]
In June, Pence Downplayed Massive Surges Across The South As Localized Flare-Ups. “‘We have made truly remarkable progress in moving our nation forward,’ said Vice President Mike Pence at the Department of Health and Human Services’ headquarters. ‘We slowed the spread. We flattened the curve. We saved lives.’ Although officials acknowledged the surge of new cases across the South and Southwest of the country at the Friday event, Pence played down the outbreaks as localized flareups ‘in specific communities’ rather than widespread problems, and credited America’s growing testing capacity for much of the increase. ‘Thirty-four states across the country are experiencing a measure of stability,’ Pence said, though 16 states are seeing both rising cases and rising percentages of people testing positive for the virus.” [Politico, 6/26/20]
Pence Praised Georgia’s Unsafe Economic Reopening As An “Example To The Nation.” “Vice President Mike Pence on [May 22] praised Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia restaurant owners who have reopened their establishments in recent weeks, lending a high-level dose of support to state leaders who have been criticized for ending pandemic restrictions too soon. Pence said Georgia is setting ‘an example to the nation’ by being among the first and most aggressive to restart its economy… ’In a very real sense, I think history will record that Georgia helped lead the way back to a prosperous American economy,’ Pence told reporters after a barbecue lunch with the governor and first lady Marty Kemp at Star Cafe near Atlanta’s Westside.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/24/20]
- Three Months After Its Unsafe, Premature Reopening, Georgia Led The Country In Coronavirus Cases Per Capita. “Per capita, Georgia has reported the most cases per day over a seven-day average of any state, followed by Texas and Florida. The states are led by governors who pushed to reopen during the spring, saw major summer surges of cases and are currently pushing to reopen schools.” [CNN, 8/19/20]
Despite That President Trump Falsely Claimed, From The Beginning, That The Virus Would Disappear, Pence Said Trump Has Never “Belittled The Threat Of The Coronavirus.” “Pence declined, however, to acknowledge that President Trump repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus: “I don’t think the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus,” Pence said.” [Axios, 4/1/20]
Pence Failed To Act Decisively While Leading The Coronavirus Task Force In March, Wasting Valuable That Allowed The Virus To Spread Out Of Control. “When the CDC ultimately issued its no-sail order on March 14, it was more than two weeks after some officials had argued to Pence that it was necessary — and after dozens of additional cruises had set sail in the intervening days around the globe, further spreading the virus and sickening Americans. ‘By the time we locked down the cruise ships, it was too late,’ said one former official involved in the task force meetings. ‘The entire country was seeded with virus.’ …It wasn’t just the cruise ship question. Other initiatives that were in the works when Pence replaced health secretary Alex Azar as the leader of the task force were placed on hold while the vice president pondered next steps. ‘We definitely lost time,’ said one health official familiar with the inner dealings of the task force. ‘How much, I can’t say … but it was disruptive to slam the brakes when we should’ve been going full speed ahead.’” [Politico, 8/26/20]
Pence Lied To Americans In March, Claiming “Any American Could Be Tested,” As The Administration Punted The Issue Of Testing Downward To States. “Pence claimed ‘any American could be tested’ in March only to acknowledge days later that ‘we don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.’ The US struggled for months to build up testing — it still doesn’t have enough, many experts argue — and Pence was often the public face of that failure, like when he had to call governors to talk them down from fiercely criticizing the administration.” [Vox, 10/7/20]
In March, After The Virus Was Already Circulating And After The Administration Had Been Warned Of Its Severity, Pence Said “The Risk Of Contracting The Coronavirus To The American Public Remains Low.” “In fact, as I stand before you today, the risk of contracting the coronavirus to the American public remains low, and the risk of serious disease among the American public also remains low.” [Coronavirus Task Force Briefing, 3/9/20]
Pence Silenced Public Health Experts and Politicized Independent Agencies But Embraced Doctors Who Pushed Misinformation About Hydroxychloroquine
The Politicized CDC Signed Off On Pence’s Debate Participation In Violation Of Its Own Quarantine Guidelines. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was safe for Vice President Mike Pence to take part in Wednesday’s vice presidential debate because he was not a close contact of anyone with COVID-19, including President Donald Trump. Pence’s office on Tuesday tweeted a memorandum from CDC Director Robert Redfield, who said the CDC had made its determination after consulting with White House physician Dr. Jesse Schonau about Pence’s possible exposure to the disease. Redfield said that based on its consultations with the doctor and Pence’s repeated negative tests, ‘the CDC concludes from a public health standpoint, it is safe for the Vice President to participate in the upcoming Vice-Presidential debate.’” [Reuters, 10/6/20]
Pence’s Staff Pushed The CDC To Loosen School Reopening Guidelines, Even Seeking Out “Alternate” Data That Would Suggest The Pandemic Was Weakening. “Top White House officials pressured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer to play down the risk of sending children back to school, a strikingly political intervention in one of the most sensitive public health debates of the pandemic… As part of their behind-the-scenes effort, White House officials also tried to circumvent the C.D.C. in a search for alternate data showing that the pandemic was weakening and posed little danger to children. The effort included Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, and officials working for Vice President Mike Pence, who led the task force. It left officials at the C.D.C., long considered the world’s premier public health agency, alarmed at the degree of pressure from the White House. One member of Mr. Pence’s staff said she was repeatedly asked by Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, to get the C.D.C. to produce more reports and charts showing a decline in coronavirus cases among young people. The staff member, Olivia Troye, one of Mr. Pence’s top aides on the task force, said she regretted being ‘complicit’ in the effort. But she said she tried as much as possible to shield the C.D.C. from the White House pressure, which she saw as driven by the president’s determination to have schools open by the time voters cast ballots.” [New York Times, 9/28/20]
Pence Reined In Appearances Of The Coronavirus Task Force, Prompting Allegations That Dr. Anthony Fauci Was Being “Muzzled.” “Pence’s office also temporarily reined in media appearances for task force members, including the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, as the vice president’s team assessed the communications strategy. That prompted charges in the media that Fauci was being ‘muzzled’ by the White House — an allegation that Fauci quickly denied as a ‘real misrepresentation.’” [Politico, 8/26/20]
Pence Met With Doctors Who Pushed The “Miracle Drug” Hydroxychloroquine, And Whose Video Was Later Removed From Facebook For Spreading Misinformation. “Vice President Mike Pence and members of his staff met Tuesday with some of the doctors who were featured in a video that was later removed from social media for misinformation, those doctors said on Wednesday. The video, which was shared by President Donald Trump before being removed, featured members of the group America’s Frontline Doctors standing on the steps of the Supreme Court claiming that masks aren’t necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus and promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure. Both claims are contradicted by scientific studies.” [CNN, 7/29/20]
Pence Regularly Disregards Guidelines for Mask-Wearing and Social Distancing
Vice President Pence And President Trump Were Photographed Without Masks At A Hurricane Laura Briefing In Late August.
[Flickr, The White House, 8/27/20]
Vice President Pence And President Trump Hosted An Indoors, Maskless Bilateral Meeting With Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Of The Republic Iraq In Mid-August.
[Flickr, The White House, 8/20/20]
In August, Pence Attended An Iowa Campaign Rally Mask-Less. “Vice President Mike Pence went mask-less in Iowa last week as he reached across a barrier to autograph a half-dozen familiar red Trump campaign hats, literally crossing the line of vulnerability outlined by the coronavirus task force he heads… During Pence’s Des Moines event, chairs arranged in small clusters six feet apart were quickly abandoned as many in the audience of about 200, few in masks, moved within a few inches of each other. Dozens crowded together afterward to get an autograph or nod from Pence.” [Associated Press, 8/19/20]
On June 10, Pence Posted And Later Deleted A Picture Of His Visit To The Trump Campaign Office Where Dozens Of Staffers Were Not Wearing Masks Or Social Distancing. “US Vice President Mike Pence deleted a tweet he sent on Wednesday evening showing dozens of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign staffers standing closely together without masks on, in clear violation of the White House’s social-distancing guidelines. ‘Stopped by to see the great men and women of the Trump-Pence Team today!’ Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, wrote in the tweet. ‘Thank you for all of the hard work, keep it up!’ The accompanying photo showed Pence standing in front of a packed room of dozens of staffers, most posing with their thumbs up. The photo appeared to have been taken in the Trump campaign’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters.” [Business Insider, 6/10/20]
On April 29, Pence Refused To Wear A Mask While Visiting The Mayo Clinic In Rochester, Minnesota, Despite It Being Mandated By The Hospital. “When Vice President Mike Pence walked into the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday, he wasn’t wearing a face mask. Everyone else in the building was, according to reporters who were traveling with him. After all, it has been the policy at the renowned Rochester, Minnesota, facility since April 13. They even say they’ll provide one. Pence was told of the new rules before he visited, the clinic said on Twitter, a post that was subsequently deleted. ‘Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today,’ they had written. But as he visited a blood and plasma donation center inside the building, Pence was bare-faced.” [CNN, 4/28/20]
In April, The Pence-Led Coronavirus Task Force Nixed A Plan To Mail Cloth Masks To Every American. “For instance, a plan suggested at the task force meetings in March by Robert Kadlec, the health department’s top emergency preparedness official, would have involved partnering with manufacturers like Hanes and potentially mailing cloth masks to every American, along with instructions on how to wear them. While the idea had public health promise — ‘how different would the outbreak be if every American in April got a cloth mask from the government,’ mused one former senior administration official — the plan died under Pence’s watch, with some task force attendees arguing they thought Kadlec’s proposal was too costly or not necessary at that stage of the outbreak.” [Politico, 8/26/20]
Just as Infections Began to Skyrocket, Mike Pence Wrongly Declared Victory Over the Pandemic and Claimed “Panic Was Overblown.”
On June 16, Pence Claimed: “Panic Is Overblown.” In an OpEd for the Wall Street Journal, Pence wrote: “The media has taken to sounding the alarm bells over a ‘second wave’ of coronavirus infections. Such panic is overblown. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the courage and compassion of the American people, our public health system is far stronger than it was four months ago, and we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.” [Wall Street Journal Opinion, 6/16/20]
- One Month Later, The United States Reported Nearly 70,000 New Infections. “The United States reported 67,417 new cases of the coronavirus on [July 14], setting yet another fresh record for new cases reported in a single day.” [CNBC, 7/15/20]
- One Month Later, More People Were Hospitalized With COVID-19 Than At Almost Any Other Time Throughout The Pandemic. “More Americans are currently hospitalized with Covid-19 than at almost any other point in the pandemic, a grim indicator that the coronavirus pandemic is not slowing down in the US. On July 23, 59,846 people across the United States were in the hospital after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to data reported by the Covid Tracking Project, just below the peak of 59,940 reached on April 15, when the New York City area was the epicenter of the US outbreak.” [Vox, 7/24/20]
- By Two Months Later, 1,000 People Were Dying From Coronavirus In The United States Each Day. “The virus, which didn’t even exist a year ago, is now killing more Americans than Alzheimer’s disease, accidents and diabetes. Over the past three weeks, the US has averaged more than 1,000 Covid-19 deaths per day. ‘Covid is now the No. 3 cause of death in the US — ahead of accidents, injuries, lung disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and many, many other causes,’ said Dr. Thomas Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” [CNN, 8/17/20]
Pence’s Missteps as the Head of the Coronavirus Task Force Exacerbated PPE Shortages
Amid PPE Shortages, More Than 1,000 Health Care Workers Have Died Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic. “More than 1,000 front-line health care workers reportedly have died of COVID-19, according to Lost on the Frontline, an ongoing investigation by The Guardian and KHN to track and memorialize every U.S. health care worker who dies from the coronavirus. “ [Kaiser Health News, Accessed 8/26/20]
Pence Encouraged Health Care Workers To Dangerously “Preserve And Reuse” PPE Amid Shortages And Administration’s Failure To Shore Up Supplies. “Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. government will issue guidance encouraging front-line health care workers to reuse personal protective equipment as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the country. Pence, speaking at a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on July 8, said PPE supplies remain ‘very strong,’ but the Trump administration will be encouraging health care workers ‘to use some of the best practices’ to ‘preserve and reuse’ face masks and other protective equipment.” [Fox News, 7/8/20]
In June, The American Medical Association Begged Vice President Pence To Encourage The Administration To Make Use Of The Defense Production Act To Expand Supplies Of Protective Gear. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association, I am writing to urge the administration to utilize the Defense Production Act to make sure there is sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for physicians in all settings… The AMA now believes the situation with PPE in ambulatory settings is so challenging that the only way to address it is for the administration to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) so the much needed N95 masks and gowns are available so patients, physicians and their staffs can safely treat as many patients as possible.” [American Medical Association, Letter to Vice President Pence, 6/30/20]
Pence’s Coronavirus Task Force And The Trump Administration Allowed PPE To Be Sent Overseas Until April, Despite Shortages At Home. “Incidents have spurred the Pence-led coronavirus task force to scrutinize all of USAID’s deliveries to countries requesting personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to fight the outbreak…The administration has also placed a moratorium on overseas shipments of USAID’s stockpiles of protective gear and is asking that the equipment be sent to the U.S. instead, other officials said. The heightened scrutiny comes as American health care workers complain of severe shortages of masks, goggles and gloves amid a nationwide spike in coronavirus cases, and as Democrats rip the administration for shipping aid to other countries while vastly underestimating America’s own needs.” [Politico, 4/2/20]