Trump Attacks 3M Over Mask Production, Drawing Company Pushback
- Health-care officials say lack of equipment could cause deaths
- Manufacturer sees need for U.S. exports to nearby countries
Donald Trump
Photographer: Oliver Contreras/Sipa/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
President Donald Trump attacked 3M Co. over concerns with supplies of protective face masks as his administration issued an order under the Defense Production Act to speed production of ventilators and respirators for coronavirus patients.
The president said at a White House news conference he signed an “element of the act against 3M” that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to obtain as many N95 respirators as it needs from the company. Trump tweeted Thursday evening that the company would “have a big price to pay” for its handling of the masks, without specifying the problem.