U.S. sent millions of face masks to China early this year, ignoring pandemic warning signs
Category: News & Politics
Via: krishna • 6 years ago • 12 commentsBy: By Juliet Eilperin, Jeff Stein, Desmond Butler and Tom Hamburger
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Photo: 3M
U.S. manufacturers shipped millions of dollars’ worth of face masks and other protective medical equipment to China in January and February with encouragement from the federal government, a Washington Post review of economic data and internal government documents has found.
In those two months, the value of protective masks and related items exported from the United States to China grew more than 1,000 percent compared with the same time last year — from $1.4 million to about $17.6 million, according to a Post analysis of customs categories which, according to research by Public Citizen, contain key personal protective equipment (PPE). Similarly, shipments of ventilators and protective garments jumped by triple digits.
U.S. manufacturers shipped millions of dollars’ worth of face masks and other protective medical equipment to China in January and February with encouragement from the federal government, a Washington Post review of economic data and internal government documents has found. The move underscores the Trump administration’s failure to recognize and prepare for the growing pandemic threat.
The move underscores the Trump administration’s failure to recognize and prepare for the growing pandemic threat.
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In those two months, the value of protective masks and related items exported from the United States to China grew more than 1,000 percent compared with the same time last year — from $1.4 million to about $17.6 million, according to a Post analysis of customs categories which, according to research by Public Citizen, contain key personal protective equipment (PPE). Similarly, shipments of ventilators and protective garments jumped by triple digits.
“Instead of taking steps to prepare, they ignored the advice of one expert after another,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.). “People right now, as we speak, are dying because there have been inadequate supplies of PPE.”
The move underscores the Trump administration’s failure to recognize and prepare for the growing pandemic threat.
He actually has no idea if that’s true. He has no way of demonstrating that X number of people have died who would have lived but for the supplies of PPE. There is no way to know. It’s just a dramatic claim that can’t be proven one way or the other.
The Trump administration hasn’t failed to recognize or prepare for the threat any worse than most other countries. It’s not as if the virus is in the US and not in 185 other countries. Several developed countries with allegedly superior health care systems to us have higher rates of infection and death per capita than the US does.
Oh my lord. There is no pleasing some people. If these shipments had been discouraged - at a time when the outbreak was 99.99992% a China problem - the administration would have been attacked as uncaring and racist
What a dumb article.
Unless The Washington Post is down with the "America First" policies of Trump. Will they be endorsing him for president in 2020?
The United States is supposed to be generous and charitable. The American people want to be givers and not takers. That's is a desirable and laudable characteristic of the United States.
Post-World War II America could produce in abundance and share with less fortunate countries. The United States could support a Marshall Plan. Post-World War II America created a mythology that has been the basis for liberals advocating for a global society. The generosity of the United States could provide prosperity for the entire world.
But the liberal global society has been sucking the life-blood from the United States. The United States can no longer produce in the abundance that allows generosity and charity. The United States can no longer supply itself, let alone share with others. American generosity now requires increasing sacrifice and hardship for the people of the United States.
Liberal mythology of post-World War II America has emaciated the ability of the United States to be generous and charitable. When the United States finally succumbs, global war will be inevitable.
WTF are you talking about 'liberal global society' being blamed for not producing abundance of (what?) to share with the world. How about they don't produce because they want it done by slave labor wages and decided to produce in China?
Who decides on which sweeping generalizations to delete, anyway?
The liberal advocacy for a global society has depended on capacity of the United States to produce in abundance. That was the idea behind the Marshall Plan.
What the pandemic has revealed is that the global society advocated by liberals cannot sustain itself without the generosity of the United States. The global society built upon the foundation of the Marshall Plan collapsed in a matter of weeks. Globalization based upon international cooperation and interdependence has failed miserably. Without the generosity of the United States, the interconnected global society could not provide what was needed in time of crisis. Instead of cooperating, all those countries of the global society suddenly became competitors for resources. Who in the global community has stepped up to produce what has been needed?
While the attempt to twist the meaning of what I wrote may be politically expedient, that cannot hide how the interconnected global society advocated by liberal ideology collapsed so quickly. The failures of globalization are too stark.