WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott announced his plan to introduce the American-Made Protection for Healthcare Workers and First Responders Act to ensure the United States builds its stockpile of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) so our first responders and healthcare workers have everything they need to keep themselves safe from Chinese Coronavirus as they care for the sick. Senator Scott is focused on ensuring we promote American-made goods and get Communist China out of the U.S. supply chain. The American-Made Protection for Healthcare Workers and First Responders Act would address the current PPE shortage and build the national stockpile of goods from American-based producers to eliminate our dependence on foreign adversaries’ supply chains during a crisis.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It is unacceptable that we are running a shortage of PPE for our nation’s healthcare workers and first responders as they work to combat the Coronavirus and any future outbreaks. We have to do everything we can to quickly get them the gear they need to stay safe. We cannot continue to rely on countries like Communist China, who lied about the Coronavirus and refuses to be a partner in solving this crisis, for critical supplies. This outbreak has shown why we need to end our reliance on foreign supply chains. As a nation, we need to finally take a stand and demand that Communist China is removed from our supply chain. We need to build our own strategic stockpile of American-made protective gear to make sure we don’t face a shortage again.”

The American-Made Protection for Healthcare Workers and First Responders Act:

• Authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain its own Strategic National Stockpile of PPE for our nation’s first responders. 
  • PPE includes gowns, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks (surgical masks) and respirators (like N95) or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness. PPE also includes disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, ventilators and respirators.
• Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with DHS, to include and maintain, at all times, PPE at HHS’ National Strategic Stockpile that can respond to a nationwide pandemic.
• Prohibits all U.S. Federal Government Agencies from procuring PPE from foreign suppliers and prioritizes buying American.
  • This requirement would be phased-in over 12 months.
• Requires HHS to establish pre-disaster contracts for PPE to prepare in advance for any presidential public health emergency declaration to ensure producers are able to meet the needs of the public.

###