BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Republicans ask VA to provide update on supply chain plans

  • The VA was told to address supply chain issues that began during pandemic
  • Many medical supplies and components come from China
  • Just-in-time inventory practices also contributed to a supply shortage

(Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

(NewsNation) — House Republicans are demanding the Department of Veterans Affairs work to decrease reliance on medical supplies from China and update the House on efforts to ensure China could not interfere with the supply chain and put Americans in danger.

Reps. Mike Bost, R-Ill., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., authored the letter to the VA, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the public health risks of relying on global supply chains for critical medical supplies. As China dealt with the growing pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party nationalized the medical supply industry and diverted products for domestic use, leaving the rest of the world grappling with shortages.

The VA, along with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security, were directed to create a more reliable supply chain in the interest of public health by an executive order.

Lawmakers noted that while the departments have issued a report identifying conditions that helped make the supply chain vulnerable, including a reliance on China and a move toward just-in-time inventory, it did not provide as much detail about how the departments planned to address those concerns.

The letter noted that the VA is the largest buyer of medical supplies, many of which include components sourced from China.

Lawmakers asked the agency to update them on the status of supply chain preparedness and specifically assessments of how dependent the supply chain is on China. The letter also asked for details on how the VA would work with the Strategic National Stockpile and what the agency intends to do to ensure stockpiled supplies are tracked and rotated so they don’t expire.

They also asked for the agency’s plan on maintaining an inventory of critical supplies so it would not be competing with other agencies and state or local governments in the event of a national public health emergency.

Lawmakers did not provide a deadline for the VA to respond to the request.

China

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

67°F Sunny Feels like 67°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
44%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph NNW
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous