WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional Democrats on Wednesday proposed a bill that would require a U.S. coronavirus supply czar to oversee critical medical supplies, while the top Senate Republican doubled down on demands for business protections.
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol during a morning rainstorm on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives unveiled companion bills requiring the Pentagon to name a civilian officer to oversee the nation’s supply and production of medical supplies and equipment needed to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
Limited supplies of masks, gloves and testing materials have been blamed for hampering the United States’ response to a pandemic that has now killed more than 58,000 Americans.
The proposals also call for a comprehensive testing plan and a blueprint for scaling up production of an eventual vaccine for the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
Democrats, frustrate