Scott Sends Letter Questioning HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra

Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) has directed a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra. Joining him in sending the letter are Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R) and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R), who raised concerns over the domestic supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical supplies.

The lawmakers joined forces to request detailed information from HHS on how it’s managing medical supply investments, stockpiles, and procurement processes. Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the lawmakers expressed that it revealed the depth of the United States’ dependence on China for the production of medical supplies. The lawmakers note that President Donald Trump (R) took wide-ranging action to address the imbalance, which included the invocation of the Defense Production Act and subsequent executive orders. However, “rather than build on the foundation established by President Trump, this administration has attempted to start from scratch – and failed.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for some of the gravest injustices and humiliations for the United States in recent memory: from lockdowns and school closures to mask and vaccine mandates,” the lawmakers wrote.

They condemned that “such policies undermined the public trust in America’s leaders and institutions. Among the most humiliating was the fact that the communist nation responsible for unleashing this plague on the work was also profiting off supplying the tools to fight it.”

“We must end our dependence on foreign supply chains and save ourselves from future humiliation,” they concluded.

Republicans have railed against the United States' dependence on China, highlighting concerns related to rare earths that are needed for energy, high tech, and defense. In 2020, Senator Hawley took to the Senate floor to express his concerns about China's economic imperialism. The Missouri Republican called on the U.S. to leave the World Trade Organization and form a brand-new global economic order.