President Trump took to Twitter Friday morning and accused General Motors of failing to live up to promises made about producing ventilators for Wuhan coronavirus patients. He threatened to enforce the Defense Production Act, which would require companies to produce products mandated by the government.
As usual with “this” General Motors, things just never seem to work out. They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, “very quickly”. Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar. Always a mess with Mary B. Invoke “P”.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!! FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!! @GeneralMotors @Ford
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
Invoke “P” means Defense Production Act!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
President Trump said companies that have voluntarily changed factory operations to produce ventilators and other crucial medical equipment will be announced later today.
We have just purchased many Ventilators from some wonderful companies. Names and numbers will be announced later today!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
In 2008, General Motors received an $80 billion bailout from American taxpayers.
Tesla, Elon Musk's automobile company, announced this week factories will be used to produce ventilators. Remington firearms, which is based in New York, is another company that has volunteered to make ventilators for hospital patients.
With Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order for all non-essential workers to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus in place, Remington Arms officials are offering their Ilion plant to be used as a manufacturing space for much-needed hospital supplies to fight the virus.
It was announced Friday that manufacturing operations at the plant would be shut down until at least April 30 to comply with Cuomo’s order, which is freeing up space.
“The Remington plant in Ilion now has approximately one million square feet of unused and available manufacturing space,” said Ken D’Arcy, chief executive officer of Remington Arms in a March 23 letter to Cuomo and President Donald Trump.
“We would be honored to donate our facility to the production of ventilators, surgical masks, hospital beds or any other products mission-critical to the war on coronavirus.”