President Donald Trump took to social media and criticized Sen. Chuck Schumer on Thursday for complaining about the shortage of medical supplies during the coronavirus crisis.
Schumer appeared on CNN and MSNBC earlier calling for a military “czar” to distribute medical goods to the states.
“Somebody please explain to Cryin’ Chuck Schumer that we do have a military man in charge of distributing goods,” Trump wrote on Twitter in reply. “A very talented Admiral, in fact.”
Rear Admiral John Polowczyk is leading FEMA’s supply chain task force for goods and supplies.
Trump said New York had gotten “far more” medical supplies than any other state, but officials were “always complaining.”
“It wouldn’t matter if you got ten times what was needed, it would never be good enough,” Trump said.
States continue to stockpile resources and demand more from the federal government as they continue to distribute goods as needed.
Trump blamed Schumer for failing to get New York prepared for the crisis.
“You should have pushed harder,” he wrote. “Stop complaining and find out where all of these supplies are going.”
The president said that “massive amounts of medical supplies” were delivered straight to states and hospitals and questioned whether some states were merely stockpiling resources.
“Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied,” he wrote, suggesting that some governors were just practicing politics.
Trump claimed that 51 cargo planes were coming in and that he preferred sending goods directly to the hospitals, rather than the states.
“Remember, we are a backup for them,” Trump wrote. “The complainers should have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit.”