PRESIDENT Trump has vowed that coronavirus mask makers 3M "will have a big price to pay" for selling abroad to higher bidders amid US shortage.
The news comes just one day after Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to force the firm to produce face masks as mounting cases threaten to overwhelm the US healthcare system.
In a tweet on Thursday, Trump raged: "We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. 'P Act' all the way.' Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing – will have a big price to pay!"
At a White House briefing on the coronavirus pandemic earlier in the day, Trump announced he had signed the Defense Production Act to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing of N95 protective masks by Minnesota-based firm 3M to assist first responders.
"Hopefully they'll be able to do what they are supposed to do," he said, without elaborating.
The company's brands include Scotch, Post-It and Nexcare, as well as healthcare products for professionals.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said at the briefing: "We've had some issues making sure that all of the production that 3M does around the world, enough of it is coming back here to the right places."
N-95 face masks made by 3M and other companies are in short supply among healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients.
We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. 'P Act' all the way.' Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing – will have a big price to pay!
The Defense Production Act, which was passed in 1950, grants the president the power to expand industrial production of key materials or products for national security and other reasons.
A memorandum signed by Trump calls for DHS Secretary Chad Wolf to use any and all authority available under the act to acquire masks produced by 3M Co.
General Motors has also been told to join to fight to produce more supplies and Ford announced that they would be working with 3M, GE Healthcare and UAW to make critical supplies.
The Defense Act will require GM "to accept, perform, and prioritize contracts or orders for the number of ventilators that the Secretary determines to be appropriate", Trump said.
GM will join a host of other car manufacturers to produce the critical machines as mounting cases threaten to overwhelm the US healthcare system.
"Our negotiations with GM regarding its ability to supply ventilators have been productive, but our fight against the virus is too urgent to allow the give-and-take of the contracting process to continue to run its normal course," Trump said in a statement.
Negotiations appeared to go downhill with Trump saying: "They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, 'very quickly.
"Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar. Always a mess with Mary B. Invoke “P."
"General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!!" Trump added in another tweet.
"FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!!" he said, adding that "Invoke “P” means Defense Production Act!"
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told lawmakers in late February that the U.S. needed a stockpile of about 300 million N95 face masks for medical workers on the front lines of stemming the spread of the virus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue guidelines in the next few days that could tell Americans to wear face masks when leaving home.
BLACK MARKET SUPPLIES
The Trump administration also said they are looking to crack down on a growing black market of medical supplies.
The national Defense Production Act policy coordinator, Peter Navarro, says there is a "black market springing up" to drive up prices of protective gear.
He said the federal government would step in to stop the practice.
But Trump added that states would remain the primary purchaser of medical supplies and that the federal government would remain in a backup role.
CORONAVIRUS AID PACKAGE
The president passed a historic coronavirus economic aid package – dubbed the CARES Act – to prop up the battered economy and includes direct payments to Americans.
Hours earlier, Trump blasted GM in a tweet, writing "as usual with “this” General Motors, things just never seem to work out."
"They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, 'very quickly,'" Trump said.
"Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar. Always a mess with Mary B. Invoke “P."
"General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!!" Trump added in another tweet.
"FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!!" he said, adding that "Invoke “P” means Defense Production Act!"
Later, he confirmed the government "purchased many Ventilators from some wonderful companies. Names and numbers will be announced later today!"
As of Thursday evening the U.S. death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, stood at 6,058, with more than 245,000 positive cases across all 50 states.
Global cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths, according data obtained by Johns Hopkins University.
White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 people could be killed even if Americans follow the sweeping lock-down orders.
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