The world's richest and most powerful country is getting used to something new: asking allies for life-saving, coronavirus-related medical equipment.
WASHINGTON – As U.S. health care workers scrounged for life-saving medical equipment last week to protect frontline staff against coronavirus, President Donald Trump made a jarring claim: the U.S. would soon have an over-supply of ventilators – enough to distribute across the globe to other needy countries.
The Russian government tweet was a crafty propaganda coup – one that highlighted the stark disconnect between Trump's promises of American super-preparedness and generosity, and his administration's obvious scramble to secure supplies from abroad.Experts say that it is an uncomfortable and humbling spot for the U.S.
Still, that hasn't stopped Trump administration officials from appearing to play politics at a time of national crisis and portraying the U.S. as a coronavirus white knight. And in January and February of this year, as U.S. states scrambled to secure surgical masks, respirators and ventilators because they expected a crush of coronavirus patients, the Trump administration effectively looked the other way as U.S. companies exported millions of dollars worth of personal protective equipment to China.
The State Department official said he could not name specific countries that have offered to help the U.S., but said the responses are being tracked and forwarded to FEMA and other U.S. federal agencies in charge of managing America’s supply chain. "Both countries have provided humanitarian assistance to each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future," she said. Meanwhile, as countries such as Italy and Spain have reeled from coronavirus outbreaks, China has stepped in with testing kits, protective gear and other medical aid critical for fighting the respiratory disease.
"We regard this as an act of modern piracy," Germany's Interior Senator Andreas Geisel told the outlet, accusing the U.S. of using underhand tactics to procure the supplies. A few media outlets have reported the White House has ordered a freeze on U.S foreign aid or at least a review, so the Trump administration can determine what the U.S. needs before sending materials abroad. A spokesperson for the United States Agency for International Development sidestepped a request for confirmation or clarification.
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