President moves to stop China as they weaponize drugs and medical supplies

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White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro confirmed the administration is working on an executive order to eliminate the government’s reliance on foreign-made medical supplies. China, in particular, is monopolizing medicine and weaponizing it. They are threatening to or already do hold back much-needed drugs and supplies.

The “Buy American” order comes after Republicans in Congress expressed concerns about our reliance on China for drugs and medical supplies. China wants to be the drugstore of the world and they are succeeding.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio asked Trump to support the Senate’s “efforts to invest in diversifying our supply chain, especially in pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.”

Mr. Navarro wants to tighten “Buy American” laws so federal agencies are required to purchase American-made pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

PUTTING A STOP TO CHINA’S MONOPOLY

The order would prevent federal agencies from purchasing medical supplies, including face masks, gloves, and ventilators, from China.

Dump the Regs

“To help facilitate such production, the White House is also pushing for streamlined regulatory approvals for American-made products and more detailed labeling of the origin of products made offshore,” the NY Times reported based on word from the White House.

Frightening Statistics

While the United States remains a global leader in drug discovery, much of the manufacturing has moved offshore. The last American plant to make key ingredients for penicillin announced it would close its doors in 2004.

Chinese pharmaceutical companies have supplied more than 90 percent of U.S. antibiotics, vitamin C, ibuprofen and hydrocortisone, as well as 70 percent of acetaminophen and 40 to 45 percent of heparin in recent years, according to Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

China has prevented the export of surgical face masks, severely limiting supplies in the U.S. and countries around the world.

Unfair Trade

“China has managed to dominate all aspects of the supply chain using the same unfair trade practices that it has used to dominate other sectors — cheap sweatshop labor, lax environmental regulations, and massive government subsidies,” Navarro told New York Times. “As President Trump has said, what we need to do is bring those jobs home so that we can protect the public health and the economic and national security of the country.”

“China is known as the world’s factory for car parts, toys and electronics, but it also churns out much of the penicillin, antibiotics and pain medicines used across the globe, as well as surgical masks and medical devices,” according to the Times.

He added that the EO would cover more than 400 “essential medicines” that “satisfy the priority health care needs of the population.” Additional products targeted in the order include “medical countermeasures” made to protect against chemical and biological threats, radiation, nuclear fallout and infectious diseases like coronavirus.

CBS News Producer Sara Cook

This Clip from Tucker Is Worthwhile:


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