The Chinese the company California placed the order with failed to meet a deadline for federal certification of the masks.
Protests and violence occurring on both sides as people deride others for wearing and not wearing face masks.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California will be refunded $247 million it paid to a Chinese company under a major deal for protective masks after the company failed to meet a deadline for federal certification of the masks, Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration said Wednesday.
The $247 million is half of an up-front payment the state made for the contract in April in an unusual move of making a payment before goods were delivered. The state could've clawed back all of its up-front payment under the original agreement, but an amendment signed Wednesday gives the company another month to meet the certification. If the masks aren't certified by May 31, California can get the rest of the payment back in early June.
A new payment and delivery schedule for the N95 masks must be set by May 22. Under the federal certification process, the final validation step would take place in Utah, Newsom said previously. It wasn’t clear where the delay in the federal certification process occurred or whether the masks had yet arrived in the United States.
But Newsom reversed course, saying he wanted to release it to be “as transparent as possible.” When the surgical masks began arriving, Newsom said he was confident the supplies would arrive and he became more comfortable sharing the details. He said the state's payment of $3.30 per mask was low compared to other states and federal buyers that had paid about $6 to $7 per mask.
Republican Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, vice chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, commended Newsom's administration for “doing the best that they can to navigate a difficult situation” with certification of the masks. But he was frustrated they waited so long to release the contract. When the treasurer’s office asked for confirmation the vendor had been vetted on April 8, the day after Newsom announced the deal on MSNBC, Thomas Todd in the Department of Finance said “they’re vetting the vendor as we speak.”
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
California to be refunded $247 million from Chinese firm in secretive mask dealCalifornia will be refunded $247 million it paid to a Chinese firm to deliver 200 million N95 respirator masks under a secretive contract which was not disclosed to the public until Wednesday.
Consulte Mais informação »
Trump wears safety goggles but not face mask to mask-making factory despite facility's guidelines'Please wear your mask at all times,' read multiple signs around Honeywell plant in Arizona.
Consulte Mais informação »
Here’s Where You Can Buy A Face Mask Online Right NowHere’s where you can buy a face mask online right now: ForbesFinds
Consulte Mais informação »
A Man Who Got $69 Million By Tweeting At Trump Apparently Tried To Sell Masks To CaliforniaYaron Oren-Pines, who never delivered a single ventilator to New York, took to Nextdoor in his bid to sell at least 18 million masks to California.
Consulte Mais informação »