‘Do it now’: Trump invokes Defense Production Act during call with Schumer

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to get needed medical supplies on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak and the private sector to mobilize against the pandemic — telling a staffer: “Do it now,” while on a call with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

On the Friday morning call, Schumer (D-NY) urged the president to immediately invoke the measure, which will help deal with dire shortages of ventilators and respiratory masks in places like New York which have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, a spokesman for the senator’s office said.

President Trump assured Schumer he would and then “yelled to someone in his office to ‘do it now,’” the spokesman said.

The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment.

In a Friday morning briefing at the White House, the president confirmed he was invoking the act, which Congress first approved during the Korean War, and put it into effect on Thursday evening.

The executive action will allow the government to direct private industry to begin rapidly producing medical supplies which are in short supply as the coronavirus pandemic roils the nation.

“We invoked it yesterday. We have a lot of people working very hard to get ventilators and various other things,” Trump said.

“We’re invoking it to use the powers of the federal government to help the states get things that they need like the masks, like the ventilators.”

At Friday’s briefing, Trump said he had a “very good telephone conversation” with Schumer, who is leading the Democrats efforts to pass a $1 trillion coronavirus relief bill currently being negotiated in the Senate.

“We’re working on various elements of the deal and the Democrats are very much wanting something and the Republicans likewise are very much wanting something,” Trump said.

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