Two legislators in charge of influential House committees are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to rapidly onshore medical supply manufacturing and end its dependence on China, CNN first reported Nov. 8.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Mike Bost, chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, shared worries that the nation's plan to strengthen its medical supply chain is "gathering dust on a shelf," according to a letter sent to the VA.
After the COVID-19 pandemic clarified vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain amid shortages of personal protective equipment, healthcare leaders have been throwing support into onshoring and nearshoring efforts. And in early 2023, national security issues arose when the U.S. government was shooting down objects suspected to be Chinese spy balloons — a geopolitical tension that highlighted the fragility of U.S.-China relations.
In their letter, Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Bost pointed to the shortage of masks and respirators in early 2020 as China rerouted shipments of medical supplies meant for other countries.
"This led to a global shortage of medical supplies that was acutely felt here in the United States, impacting every health system, from the VA down to small rural hospitals," they wrote. "If our reliance on Chinese manufacturing and our lack of sufficient domestic production are not properly addressed, our public health supply chain will remain at risk of manipulation by the [Chinese Communist Party], putting Americans in danger in future emergencies."