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There have been a lot of stories from various outlets including @propublica @latimes & @washingtonpost about COVID contracts. I wrote about the absence of gov& #39;t oversight on them. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-gutted-checks-his-power-when-they-were-most-needed-n1213901
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/... href="https://twitter.com/PhilMcCausland">@PhilMcCausland @cyrusfarivar & I continue to report on the response. 1/x
Even with all the cash flowing out of federal coffers, nearly every decision made to spend money on equipment and services is a choice to forgo alternatives. That& #39;s particularly true in an environment in which so many big deals are being made without any competitive bidding 2/x
It& #39;s also particularly true because sources inside and outside the federal government say that some decisions have been made to satisfy political ends and there is evidence to back them up. 3/x
There& #39;s no question that the federal government began scrambling -- late -- to address a sprawling health and economic crisis. The need for speed is obvious. And it& #39;s also true that there can be legitimate disagreements about the best paths to pursue. 4/x
For example, Rick Bright was furious that he couldn& #39;t get anyone to pay attention to a company called Prestige Ameritech that said it could manufacture masks using U.S. facilities. The company got a contract only after it was introduced to Peter Navarro and the WH ordered it 5/x
If hiring the company to produce masks was the right thing to do, the process didn& #39;t work when Bright ran into opposition from political appointees and then it was circumvented by White House officials when the company made a public stink and got a connect from Steve Bannon. 6/x
Arguably oversight is more important rather than less important during a crisis that requires good decisions to be made. Oversight allows the ongoing response to improve and helps ensure future crises are handled more seamlessly. 7/x
But every level of oversight has been stripped away by the president. Congress can& #39;t get information. Inspectors general overseeing contracting have been removed from their jobs. 8/x
We reported last week on a contract Battelle received to sell, service and operate machines that the company says can recycle N95 masks so they can be used 20 times. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-administration-paying-huge-premium-mask-cleaning-machines-which-don-n1210896
Trump">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/... forced the FDA to waive rules to tee up a contract that is worth up to $600M. 9/x
Trump">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/... forced the FDA to waive rules to tee up a contract that is worth up to $600M. 9/x
