J.B. Pritzker, Illinois gov.: We’re bidding against FEMA, foreign governments for equipment

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said his state is competing with both the U.S. federal government and foreign governments in trying to bid for equipment like protective masks to respond to the expanding coronavirus outbreak.

He said he was on the phone talking with companies on Sunday.

“In one case, we’re competing for ventilators with FEMA and the federal government. So Illinois is bidding for ventilators against the federal government,” he said on NBC’s “Today” program. “In another case, we were bidding against foreign countries and other states.”

“Prices are being ratcheted up and we’re competing against each other on what should be a national crisis … the federal government should be leading, helping us,” he said.

He said the federal government needs to work with companies and say that they’re going to buy the products and distribute them to the states.

“When I’m competing with foreign countries for my state’s needs … that’s just wrong,” he said.

President Trump has resisted fully leveraging the Defense Production Act, which gives the president wide latitude in compelling the private sector to procure certain goods, saying companies have been taking the initiative on their own to ramp up production of needed supplies like ventilators and masks.

Mr. Trump has also said in cases where the federal government and states are bidding against one another, the federal government would immediately pull back.

“He says he wants to be partners with those companies. Well, that’s great — I want them to get a fair price for their goods,” Mr. Pritzker said. “But we need ventilators; we need N95 masks. The federal government isn’t providing most of that to the states. We’re out there competing against each other — it shouldn’t work that way.”