Following Call With District Hospitals, Cleaver Again Calls For President To Exercise Authorities Granted By Defense Production Act

(Kansas City, MO) - Yesterday, United States Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) held a conference call with Hospital Administrators and CEOs within the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri to discuss the Novel Coronavirus. The call centered on what the hospitals are seeing on the ground, how their supply stockpiles are holding up, and what they need from the federal government.

"After speaking with our hospitals in the district, it is abundantly clear that, like most hospitals around the country, we are facing a shortage of masks, respirators, and protective gear for frontline workers," said Congressman Cleaver. "The President has got to get out in front of this incoming crisis before it's too late, and he can start by exercising the powers afforded to him in the Defense Production Act to ramp up production on a massive scale."

As Congress continues to seek solutions to address the coronavirus, Congressman Cleaver wanted to hear directly from hospitals in the district. Similar to what we're hearing from hospitals around the country, the administrators were adamant about the need for more supplies, including respirators and facemasks for patients, as well as protective gear for healthcare workers. The hospitals also urged the need for more Medicaid dollars, more capabilities for virtual care, and significantly more nurses in the rural hospitals.

Last week, Congressman Cleaver, along with 56 congressional colleagues, called for the President to exercise the powers afforded by the Defense Production Act (DPA) to quickly ramp up production of medical supplies on a nation-wide scale. Yesterday, the President announced he had "signed" the DPA to ramp up production, but later tweeted his intention to only "invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future." Congressman Cleaver believes the government needs to be proactive on this issue and start ramping up production immediately, and calls on President Trump and his Administration to do so without delay.

Hospitals who participated in the conversation include: Fitzgibbon Hospital, Children's Mercy Hospital, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, KC Cares, and Lafayette Regional Health Center.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Matthew Helfant at 202-225-4535 or Matthew.Helfant@mail.house.gov A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.