Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions has unveiled the second plank of his “Bet on America” plan that outlines how he believes America should go about standing up to China.
This piece of the plan would have the United States government take steps towards establishing a robust supply chain for medical supplies inside America’s borders.
“The United States is critically exposed because we are too reliant on the communist Chinese government and other foreign nations for our medicines and lifesaving medical equipment,” said Sessions in a release.
Last week, in the first plank of the plan, Sessions called for a select congressional committee to lead an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and China’s role in covering it up.
Shortly after Sessions called for the investigation, a bombshell report was published by Bloomberg News detailing how U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that the communist government of China engaged in an extensive effort to cover up the extent of the outbreak there.
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“The Chinese Communist Party today controls the production and supply of too many goods and materials that are critical to America’s national security and our citizens’ public health,” Sessions commented in remarks accompanying the release of his plan.
Sessions pointed out that a huge percentage of the medicine and medical devices in the United States are made in China or rely on parts and chemicals made in China.
The key policy recommendation from Sessions in this plank of his plan is to mandate that 75% of health care spending by federal agencies be used to purchase American-made supplies.
Sessions highlighted agencies such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as groups that spend large sums on medicine and medical supplies.
“America need not shut itself off entirely from purchasing international medical products,” advised Sessions, before continuing, “But we must maintain a strong, American supply chain and ensure that we have the capability to make the products ourselves when international production is threatened or insufficient.”
The former senator from Alabama believes that President Donald Trump’s recent changes to the Chinese/American trade relationship are “strong and effective measures” that constitute “a good start.”
Sessions also wants the public to know “that the real threat is the Chinese Communist Party, not the good people of China.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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