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#Sen. Lindsey Graham calls to stop China’s ‘domination’ of PPE market

#Sen. Lindsey Graham calls to stop China’s ‘domination’ of PPE market

July 16, 2020 | 1:18pm | Updated July 16, 2020 | 2:00pm

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday renewed his call for the US to buy personal protective equipment from companies in the US to reduce America’s reliance on China for supplies of crucial gear such as masks and gloves.

The South Carolina Republican sent a letter to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows saying he would introduce legislation in the Senate next week that he wanted included in any Phase 4 relief package passed by Congress.

“China has laid the groundwork required to dominate the PPE market as part of their effort to maintain a grip on the global public health industrial supply chains,” wrote Graham.

“Unfortunately, we have seen in stark clarity the problems this placed on our ability to manufacture a robust and reliable supply of PPE. I urge you to support efforts in the upcoming COVID relief package to ensure the federal government is no longer reliant on China for the procurement of PPE.”

In May, Graham visited the Milliken factory in Pendleton, South Carolina, which had switched from the manufacturing of textiles used for things like airbags for vehicles to making masks and other equipment.

“The ultimate goal is for all of our protective equipment that our nurses and our doctors and our health care professionals depend on to keep us safe and to keep them safe will be made in America,” Graham told reporters after the tour, Greenville TV station WYFF reported at the time.

His visit to Milliken comes a month after the fabric production facility signed a $20 million deal to switch production of flame-retardant clothing and the fabric used to make airbags to PPE for American doctors and nurses.

“These are gowns that over the next two months, we’ll make 3 million of,” said Milliken division president Chad McAllister.

“And these gowns will end up on the backs of nurses, doctors, EMT, health care workers on the front lines of fighting this pandemic.”

Graham’s proposed US MADE Act in the Senate would give President Trump the authority to implement the “Buy American” provisions of the bill immediately.

“American companies are reluctant to make long term investments in domestic PPE production because of the uncertainty in future market conditions,” Graham continued in the letter to Meadows.

“However, the ability to supply our own PPE is an issue of national security. Just as we don’t rely on China to supply military uniforms we must not rely on them to supply our PPE.”

Graham’s plan comes at a time of rising tensions between China and the US over Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong, increased military action in the South China Sea and the spreading coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened more than 3.4 million Americans and killed about 136,000, according to the CDC.

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