Washington, D.C. – In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is asking the Trump administration how it plans to modernize the federal stockpile of health care supplies, such as personal protective equipment.
In a letter sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Azar, Enzi said the pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to meet the demand for critical supplies.
“Our experience over the last few months has shown that SNS inventories are not sufficient to meet the surge in demand for supplies needed by frontline providers, which is troubling given the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus infections this fall that could coincide with flu season and an ‘above-normal’ hurricane season,” Enzi wrote. “It is critical to ensure the SNS is able to meet nationwide demand for key supplies should these three factors converge in the fall and place even more strain on our health care system than it is currently experiencing.”
On May 14, President Trump announced his intent to reconfigure the SNS to combat the coronavirus pandemic and be prepared for a potential resurgence in the fall. In the letter, Enzi commended this focus on pandemic preparedness and asked for specifics about how the administration will implement these modernizations.
Full text of the letter is available here.
