National Nurses United has announced plans to protest the Trump Administration at the White House on Tuesday. The announcement comes as Trump encourages states to reopen their economies if they’re showing reduced numbers of cases of COVID-19. The nurses union will protest the White House, asking for more suitable funding for PPE.
As part of the protest, the nurses will read aloud names of people who have died because of the novel coronavirus. Hospitals across the country are struggling to get enough masks, gloves and other equipment while the death toll continues to mount. Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has been hands-off with the virus response, leaving much to state governors.
The nurses union protest will take place Tuesday afternoon. “With no federal health and safety standard, nurses and other health care workers in many hospitals across the country have not been provided with adequate PPE to protect them from exposure to the virus,” the union stated.
“NNU is calling on Congress to mandate the [Defense Production Act]’s use to produce the equipment and supplies health care workers need to care for COVID-19 patients as well as to conduct mass testing that is required to control the spread of the virus,” they continued. The Defense Production Act is a way the federal government can compel private businesses. The act can force them to manufacture specific goods in times of emergency.
The Defense Production Act is an extreme measure, usually used in wartime. However, the power can be invoked during an time of emergency. It allows the federal government to essentially direct manufacturers by mandating they create specific items. Trump has actually already invoked the Defense Production Act during this pandemic, in order to facilitate the manufacture of more ventilators.
However, NNU feels as though he shouldn’t have stopped there. Hospitals are woefully underequipped for a pandemic of this scale. Nurses and doctors alike are struggling to meet the extreme demands on the healthcare system. Meanwhile, many medical professionals are falling sick. They don’t have access to proper PPE to shield themselves from the very contagious virus.
The White House should be thankful that there have not yet been any serious injury attorneys involved. After all, it was the administration’s decision to fire the entire pandemic response team in 2018. Likewise, the administration squandered the month of February. When it could have been stockpiling PPE and testing equipment, the Trump Administration carried on like the virus would never hit the US.
