In a letter to President Biden, Congresswoman pushes the White House to send high-quality, U.S.-made N95 and KN95 masks to every American who wants one
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to President Biden on Monday, U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) and Tim Ryan (OH-13) called for the administration to ramp up its action against the latest COVID-19 wave by sending free, high-quality, American-made face masks to all Americans who request them.
"Right now, as COVID cases surge and folks struggle to protect themselves, we have American-made masks sitting in warehouses with nowhere to go,"said Slotkin. "It's crazy – and it's why Rep. Ryan and I are calling for high quality, U.S.-made masks to be sent to every American who wants one."
The Representatives noted in the letter that the CDC estimates that as many as 60% of KN95 masks coming to the United States from China are counterfeit and fail to meet U.S. safety standards.
"We ask that the administration consider using resources already allocated by Congress for COVID-19-related expenses to purchase and distribute these American-made, quality certified masks, to every American household that requests them," Slotkin and Ryan wrote in the letter. "It is time for the government to ensure all Americans have easy, regular access to high-quality, American-made masks."
Slotkin has been a longtime advocate for manufacturing more PPE in the United States, and spearheaded the Strengthening Our Strategic National Stockpile Act, an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill to revamp the U.S.'s stockpile of critical PPE and make more of it here at home.
Read Axios's report on Slotkin's letter:
Driving the news: Democratic Reps. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Tim Ryan of Ohio are urging President Biden to purchase and distribute domestically manufactured KN95 masks to any American household requesting them.
- They would be paid for with previously allocated COVID-19 funds.
- In a letter seen first by Axios, the pair writes the nation is at a ‘crossroads' in the fight against the coronavirus.
- ‘We strongly encourage the administration to take the opportunity to prevent further loss of life ... by leveraging the federal government's substantial authority to prioritize American-made masks and PPE,' they write.
Original source can be found here.
