U.S. Sent China $18M in Face Masks and Protective Gear Ahead of Shortages as Outbreak Spread Globally: Report

The U.S. Commerce Department pushed U.S. manufacturers to sell millions of dollars' worth of face masks and other personal protective equipment to China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, even as the virus began to spread to the U.S., a new analysis has found.

Analyzing economic data and internal government documents, The Washington Post found that the commerce department had urged manufacturers to ship nearly $18 million worth of protective gear to China in the months of January and February.

Compared to the same two months last year, exports of masks and other protective items spiked by 1,000 percent, jumping from $1.4 million to about $17.6 million. Meanwhile, exports of ventilators surged by triple digits, The Post found.

The first confirmed case of coronavirus was first detected in the U.S. on January 20.

Yet, the Commerce Department had released a flier on February 26 outlining a "CS China COVID Procurement Service," at a time when deaths related to COVID-19 had reached 2,770, almost all in China.

Days later, on March 3, an official at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing also told colleagues about the "new service," The Post said, citing an internal email obtained by the newspaper.

Speaking on background, a Department of Commerce senior official told Newsweek on Sunday that senior leadership was aware of the issue and are currently investigating the matter. The senior official said the service was shut down on March 4 by senior leadership at the International Trade Administration (ITA) shortly after the flyer was distributed.

During the U.S.'s whole-of-America response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the official said the ITA had been working hard to help U.S. industry overcome supply chain disruptors, working with 100 organizations and 47 states and localities facilitate disbursement of personal protective equipment and other supplies across the country.

However, in the weeks since the outbreak began, the U.S. has struggled to address a shortage in face masks and other personal protective wear amid a surge in the number of confirmed cases across the country.

As of early Sunday morning, there have been more than 2.3 million cases of coronavirus confirmed worldwide, with more than 735,200 being confirmed in the U.S., according to an online tracker maintained by the John Hopkins University. Worldwide, 161,402 people have died in connection to the virus, with 39,090 of those deaths occurring in America.

In a statement on Twitter, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tx), who had initially obtained the flier and other information from the U.S. Commerce Department, accused the Trump administration of failing to put America first by exporting vital resources at a time when U.S. officials were being warned of the devastation COVID-19 could cause.

"If you're wondering why the U.S. is #1 in coronavirus deaths and not in masks, patient protective equipment, and ventilators, look no further than Trump's denial, delay, and deception," Doggett said. "Not exactly putting America first."

Speaking with Newsweek on Sunday, Doggett said the U.S.'s decision to ramp up exports to China was one of the "multiple failures of the Trump administration that have contributed, I think, to significant loss of life."

"At a critical time here, when word was coming in that we've got a pandemic, instead of preparing, Trump was only concerned about the economic aspects," he said.

While Doggett said he believed it was important to work with the international community during a global crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, he criticized the government for focusing on "promoting exports when we should have been adding to the national strategic stockpile, we had been depleted."

This article has been updated with a statements from the Department of Commerce and from Rep. Lloyd Doggett.