PortandTerminal.com, April 19, 2020

“Trump’s “Hunger Games” pits state against state with his privatized pandemic response”

CHICAGO, Il – There are reports that billionaire Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, spent over $1.7 million on flights bringing medical supplies from China in secret—out of fear the Trump administration would seize the cargo for the federal stockpile.

Earlier in the week, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Illinois was “secretly” getting PPE and other medical supplies shipped from China in order to avoid interference from the federal government.

Its like the scene in Chinatown except Trump is saying the governors are on their own and then says that only the feds can help. What else was Gov. Pritzker supposed to do to get what was needed? https://t.co/ggaqpdrerM
— MDDeBofsky (@MBofsky) April 19, 2020

Illinois state Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Tuesday that the state has spent more than $174 million on purchases related to COVID-19, including supplies such as ventilators, masks, gloves, gowns, protective eyewear and hand sanitizer.

READ: Somebody at the Port of NY stole 3 million badly needed medical masks from Mass

Two invoices from the state revealed $888,275 purchases for “aircraft charter flight to Shanghai, China for COVID-19 response,” according to the newspaper.

The Sun-Times cited a source familiar with the purchases, who said the details were kept secret “because we’ve heard reports of Trump trying to take PPE in China and when it gets to the United States.”

Pritzker’s press secretary declined to give the newspaper details on the flights but said the “challenges” Illinois has faced to obtain PPE for frontline health care workers.