COVID PPE Chaos: States Forced to Bid Against Each Other and FEMA
Instead of coordinating PPE distribution, Trump told governors they were "not a shipping clerk." States then bid against each other — and against FEMA, which outbid and seized state orders. Prices inflated 3-15x.
During the COVID-19 crisis, the Trump administration refused to coordinate federal distribution of personal protective equipment. Trump told governors they should procure their own supplies, saying the federal government is "not a shipping clerk."
What followed was chaos:
- States were forced into bidding wars against each other for the same equipment
- FEMA actively outbid states and in some cases seized state-ordered shipments
- Ventilators that normally cost $25,000 were selling for $45,000+
- Some states paid 15 times normal prices for N95 masks and other equipment
- Louisiana requested 10 million PPE units but received only 13% from the Strategic National Stockpile
Governor Cuomo described the situation as being "on eBay with 50 other states." The Strategic National Stockpile was nearly depleted because the Trump administration had failed to replenish it despite repeated warnings.
Healthcare workers resorted to wearing garbage bags and reusing single-use masks. The federal government's abdication of its coordination role during a national emergency — forcing American states to compete against each other and against their own federal agencies — was a failure of basic governance.