{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcadams.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=285", "McAdams calls on federal government to order more personal protective equipment", "2020-04-13", "2020", "2020-04", "Democrat", "House", "UT", "Ben McAdams", "M001209", "mcadams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "West Jordan, UtahCongressman Ben McAdams is joining the bipartisan call in Congress for the federal government to issue a guaranteed order for medical supplies needed to combat COVID-19. McAdams joined other House members on a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting the government order tens of millions of additional surgical masks, medical exam gloves, face shields, goggles and other personal protective equipment.\r\nOur front-line medical workers must have what they need to take care of infected patients safely. A guaranteed order from the federal government will provide the incentive to manufacturers to dramatically ramp up production, knowing there's a ready buyer for what they produce, said McAdams. Congress has already providedin the CARES Act $27 billion towards a fund for emergency preparedness and response as another means for ramping up PPE supplies.\r\nThe letter to Secretary Alex Azar says that HHS should order the supplies to both assist states and medical facilities handling current COVID-19 cases and to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) after the surge of hospitalized patients subsides.\r\nOn top of the grueling hours and overwhelming caseloads, health care workers should not be also forced to risk their personal safety to treat patients, the letter states.\r\nFor guaranteed purchase orders from HHS, the letter lists the following, among other items:\r\n \r\n    N95 respirators  3 billion\r\n    Goggles  100,000\r\n    Face shields  20 million\r\n    PPE coveralls  10 million\r\n    Surgical masks  50 million\r\n    Medical exam gloves  500 million pairs\r\n \r\nThe letter also says coronavirus testing supplies should be part of the guaranteed order, including RNA testing kits, reagents and nasopharyngeal swabs.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcadams.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=285"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 13.640398858115077, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}