Companies are selling millions of masks abroad daily. They are selling to the highest bidder. The WH is holding back ventilators and the Pentagon hasn't been instructed where to send them
With these leaders? I can see a short supply of every single thing needed for the rest of the year unless private companies like GE, Ford ect only make them for the US and don't sell them abroad.
Plus Trump has the agenda vs certain governers who "don't play nice" so they will get less from the feds
VENTILATORS
What Trump said yesterday is what should be happening, other than him personally making the decisions, every one as he is proud to point out. Someone at FEMA is in charge of the stockpile, its distribution and its replenishment. Whatever ventilators should be managed by the federal government. Obviously, FL shouldn't be getting 100% of all requests while others beg. If their numbers are anywhere near correct, they can't give more to NY. NY could empty the entire supply. And, as of now NY will be fine. NO, Detroit and Chicago are in real trouble.
BTW, NY is fine because of all the creative ways they have produced ventilators.
Trump just doesn't want to be the leader. He finally had to order GM to produce 10K ventilators by the end of April or was it May, Now he's done.
MASKS
If producers can make masks and sell at an enlarged profit through Amazon, then they don't need to sell their entire supply overseas. Besides, if the profit is there, they can just use more facilities, and more shifts, and make more profits. Maybe the most efficient method for the general public is for Amazon to negotiate for them, and to secure masks from all over the world. Hospitals and states should be able to pay companies what they are able to get overseas. Are the overseas customers really paying the touch of a premium? In any case, the answer is for companies to make more profits. Obviously, these decisions could have been made by FEMA since January had Trump made the Executive order then to allow them to control the supply chain.