What does it say?

Screenshot / YouTube

While it might appear like the U.S. wasn’t prepared for the pandemic, according to the report, the Trump administration was making money exporting medical resources. “The value of U.S. ventilator exports jumped 22.7% percent from January to February,” it notes.

Aside from the ventilators, “In February 2020, the value of U.S. mask exports to China was 1,094% higher than the 2019 monthly average,” it adds.

One of the report’s key findings is that the overall value of these exports jumped 22.0%, from $155,806,378 to $194,345,276.

Inbox: Rep. Katie Porter has released a report showing that mask and ventilator exports from the U.S. increased dramatically in early 2020 and that Trump's promised fed contracts for PPE and ventilators won't be completed until after the coronavirus peak. https://t.co/xqrHF3p8KO

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 7, 2020

Export was driven by Trump’s policies

Source: Screenshot/YouTube

On March 2, The New York Times wrote, “The Commerce Department advertised a change in Chinese regulations that would temporarily make it easier for American businesses to export medical products that are useful in battling the coronavirus to China, including protective gear, hand sanitizers and mask manufacturing machines.”

While I was sounding the alarm on #Covid_19, President Trump was encouraging companies to *increase* exports of medical supplies—as recently as the beginning of March.

This and more in my new report on the Administration's catastrophic mismanagement ⬇️⬇️https://t.co/8si6IYUzWM

— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) April 7, 2020

What does this report seek to do?

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The analysis comes at a time when many medical professionals on the front lines are facing a grave shortage of protective equipment. It’s forcing doctors and nurses to wear ski goggles and Halloween masks and make gear out of office supplies to protect themselves.

Rep. Porter wants Congress to hold Trump and his administration accountable for their “callousness” in protecting American lives during the pandemic.

Aside from that, she said that she has introduced legislation that calls for all DPA orders to be made public.

Rep. Porter earlier in March pressed the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, to make coronavirus testing free.