Steve Daines: Relying on China for Medicine ‘Detrimental’ to Public Health

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday, urging him to take executive action to strengthen America’s medical and pharmaceutical supply chain.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear how relying upon China for medicine, or essential medical equipment and components is detrimental to our national security and endangers public health,” Daines wrote in his letter to President Trump.

“It is critically important to ensure that legislation is fully implemented as quickly as possible and that the U.S. continues to be the world leader in biomedicine, pharmaceutical development, and medical innovation,” he added.

Daines’ letter to President Trump follows as the coronavirus pandemic has jeopardized America’s medical supply chain.

The Montana senator explained:

For example, over a third of U.S. imports of antibiotics and more than seventy percent of imports of personal protective equipment are sourced from China. This provides the authoritarian and communist Chinese government with unacceptable influence within our medical supply chains. Additionally, China’s obfuscation and efforts to hide the extent of the outbreak has led to the deaths of over a hundred thousand individuals and exacerbated the pandemic.

“Ceding this position of global leadership to China or other countries around the world would be detrimental to our national security, impair our ability to combat the current or future public health crises, and have a negative impact on our economy and jobs,” Daines wrote.

Daines has served as one of the many leaders during the coronavirus outbreak. In April, Daines called on the State Department to investigate the Chinese origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

“As Congress considers additional measures to address the pandemic, I urge you to utilize your executive powers and existing authorities to take appropriate actions to strengthen the medical and pharmaceutical supply chain in the U.S,” Daines added in the letter to the president.