WASHINGTON – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18) addressed constituent concerns as they relate to the coronavirus and the government’s response to the pandemic.
In a telephone town hall session Thursday night, he said he is “infuriated” with how the Trump administration “has been downplaying” the epidemic.
One caller asked Maloney why the president has not triggered the federal Defense Production Act. “They have set in motion what they need to do for the president to use the federal Defense Production Act,” he said. “As best I can tell their argument is that they are getting the cooperation from the private sector for what they need. But that’s not what the governor of New York is saying and I trust Andrew Cuomo on this to know what our hospitals in New York are facing more than I trust the guys in Washington,” Maloney said.
The administration is saying the voluntary cooperation by corporations is sufficient to meet the needs of medical supplies and equipment to handle the virus.
