Grace Meng Leads NY Delegation in Demanding Trump Invoke Defense Production Act
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park) led members of the New York Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to fully invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to ensure that frontline health care workers in New York have the medical technology and protection that they need to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The correspondence urges the President to:
Fully invoke DPA in order to incentivize manufacturers across the country to make their production lines reflect the needs of hospitals;
Increase Department of Defense personnel and materials—such as creating field hospitals or distributing emergency personal protective equipment—to state and local governments;
and Provide unrationed COVID-19 test kits with rapid results to health care workers to help keep them safe and on the front lines.
“As members of the New York congressional delegation, we urge you to dramatically expand the use of the Defense Production Act (DPA), to utilize the broad capabilities of our Department of Defense so we can protect our front line health care workers,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Previously, the New York City congressional delegation wrote to you on March 20th urging you to invoke the DPA. While we recognize that you officially invoked the DPA on March 27th in order to spur production of ventilators, there is still much more work to do to meet the needs of New Yorkers,” they added.
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