WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) held a press call along with U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to discuss new legislation supported by 46 Senate Democrats to federalize and add critical oversight and transparency to the supply chain for essential medical supplies and equipment. The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act requires the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal response to the pandemic through an equitable and transparent process. AFL-CIO, SEIU, the National Nurses United, United Steelworkers, AFSCME, and US PIRG endorsed this legislation.

“[D]emocracies are not naturally, well-constructed to deal with emergencies. Power is split between branches of government, no one individual or office is fully empowered to make the life-saving decisions necessary at times like these. And so Congress had foresight, and passed legislation that gave, to the executive, the power to step in and make life saving decisions in an emergency. It's called the Defense Production Act,” said Murphy.

Murphy continued: “We wish the president were taking the necessary steps to require more production of masks, and face shields, and components for tests, but he has fiddled for long enough and Congress now needs to step in and create an infrastructure through which the Defense Production Act can be utilized to its full extent in order to make sure that we have the equipment that we need.”

A full transcript of Murphy’s remarks can be found below:

“Thanks a lot Tammy and thank you to Senator Schumer for helping guide us through the drafting of this legislation. I'm really proud to introduce it today with so many of our colleagues.

“Listen, democracies are not naturally, well-constructed to deal with emergencies. Power is split between branches of government, no one individual or office is fully empowered to make the life-saving decisions necessary at times like these.

“And so Congress had foresight, and passed legislation that gave, to the executive, the power to step in and make life saving decisions in an emergency. It's called the Defense Production Act.

“The Defense Production Act allows the President of the United States to be able to compel manufacturers and distributors to produce and deliver critical supplies at a time of national crisis.

“It is stunning that the president is not using the power that has been granted to him to save lives. It's perplexing as to why he has been so willing to talk tough, but then not willing to use the authorities that have been given to him.

“Reports suggests that major industry groups have been lobbying the president to hold back and not use his authorities under the Defense Production Act. Why? Well, when scarcity is the rule, prices go up. Industries can make a lot of money when scarcity is prevalent. And so we worry that the president is choosing profits over the health and safety of our constituents. And so this legislation is critical.

“We wish it weren't necessary. We wish the president were taking the necessary steps to require more production of masks, and face shields, and components for tests, but he has fiddled for long enough and Congress now needs to step in and create an infrastructure through which the Defense Production Act can be utilized to its full extent in order to make sure that we have the equipment that we need.

“Let me just give you one example and then I'll turn it over to questions. Let me give one example of the real world crisis that our states are facing.

“I was on the phone yesterday with a Federal Correctional Institute in my state. There's been a number of cases of COVID-19 in that facility and I learned yesterday, that nearly one fifth of the staff in this facility have tested positive for COVID-19. And yet, they are only able to test symptomatic individuals because, they don't have enough cartridges to put in their testing machine.

“Now, if 20% of the staff of this facility have shown symptoms and tested positive, you can only imagine how many people there are actually positive. They are spreaders of this virus in the facility, but they are also spreaders in the community. And we are only in a position where we are unable to test more people in that facility because, the supply chain is broken.

“There's no reason that we cannot make more of the components for these testing machines in the United States, other than the president has chosen to stand down and not use the capabilities given to him by statute.

“This legislation will require that the president start using the powers available to him in order to deliver the tests that are going to be necessary to open back up our economy and I'm hopeful that we will be successful and pressing our colleagues to adopt this legislation, or a version of it, in the upcoming coronavirus legislative package.

“Thanks for having us on the call today.”

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