Senators Baldwin, Brown Applaud President for Distributing Free N95 Masks to Americans; Urge President, Federal Officials to Prioritize Purchase and Distribution of Made In America Masks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) led their Senate colleagues in sending letters to President Joe Biden, Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton, and Secretary of the Senate Sonceria Ann Berry, urging them to prioritize the purchase of masks made in the U.S. with U.S. materials. Baldwin and Brown are pushing to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are being spent on American products and made by American workers.

The letter follows this morning’s announcement by President Biden that he is following through on his commitment to provide hundreds of millions of high-quality masks at no-cost to Americans, and that the first distribution of masks will come as soon as next week from masks that are currently housed in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). Baldwin and Brown’s letter urges the President to ensure future purchases – including those to replenish the SNS and those to support access to free masks for children – prioritize masks made in the U.S. with U.S. materials.

“Purchasing NIOSH approved N95 respirators and other high-quality masks, such as FDA-authorized surgical masks, made by American workers here in the U.S. advances our shared goals for supporting domestic manufacturing and ensuring a more reliable, consistent supply chain for these essential products. Doing so not only helps to prevent further loss of life, keep our kids in school, and ensure our economy remains open, but it will also ensure that the United States maintains a robust PPE manufacturing capacity so that we are never again in a situation where we must be dependent on foreign-made products, like we were in the early days of the pandemic,” the senators wrote in their letter to the President.

“We write to share our frustration with the decision to provide members of the U.S. House of Representatives with KN95 masks made in China. We strongly urge you to take clear steps that ensure future mask purchases and orders for other essential products and personal protective equipment (PPE) prioritize products made in the U.S. using U.S. materials made by American workers,” the senators wrote in their letter to the Architect of the Capitol and the Secretary of the Senate.

Baldwin and Brown were joined on the letter to President Biden by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

Baldwin and Brown were joined on the letter to the Architect of the Capitol and the Secretary of the Senate by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

“When COVID-19 began, the United States found itself unprepared to supply itself with desperately needed PPE, especially N95 masks.  The Chinese filled the gap with fake products. It turned out 60% of KN95 and Chinese made N95 masks were fake. We can’t make that mistake again. Without any government support, companies like ours stood up American factories that created thousands of jobs and filled the gaps in the domestic production of raw materials. In our case, we manufacture medical grade meltblown, which is the critical filtration component in N95 respirator masks and medical-grade surgical masks. We strongly support Senator Baldwin and Senator Brown’s efforts to prioritize federally funded procurement and distribution of PPE made by American companies that employ American workers. They understand that what is good for American workers is good for America’s health,” said Andrew Wegner, Managing Director, US Medical Nonwovens Co., of Neenah, WI.

“Lutema pivoted our business early on in the pandemic when we noticed poor quality PPE coming from overseas. So many American entrepreneurs listened to the call to action to keep Americans safe by starting to mass produce high quality masks domestically. Manufacturers like us at Lutema wanted to each do their part to help so we invested millions of dollars and countless hours to create not only a robust domestic mask supply, but also 8,000 good paying jobs. We co-founded the American Mask Manufacturers Association (AMMA) and helped the Biden Administration declare the PPE shortage over in April 2021. Unfortunately, counterfeit masks have continued to flood the market and put Americans at risk. What’s worse is that 75% of jobs created have been lost by members of AMMA as cheap, foreign PPE continues to displace American-made PPE. We fully endorse Senator Baldwin and Senator Brown in prioritizing American workers by purchasing face masks and respirators manufactured in the US, and securing America’s national security interests in PPE manufacturing. In doing so, we’ll continue to have a robust domestic supply chain, continue to create American jobs, and keep Americans safe,” said Eddie Phanichkul, Co-founder Lutema & Co-founding member American Mask Manufacturers Association, of Milwaukee, WI.

Brown and Baldwin have been at the forefront of calling for American-made PPE. In October, they wrote to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, requesting that 301 penalty duties be assessed to all imported finished PPE and key raw material inputs, including single-use N95 and KN95 masks, reusable and surgical masks, and surgical gowns. Their letter detailed that by imposing duties on PPE from China would help restore vulnerable supply chains and support American companies that retooled their production facilities to increase production of life-saving PPE.

The full text of the letters are available below:

A copy of the letter to President Biden:

Dear President Biden:

We are encouraged by your commitment to make “high-quality masks” available to Americans at no-cost, starting as early as next week with an initial distribution of adult masks from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). As your Administration enters into contracts to replenish the SNS and purchase additional masks to distribute to adults and children across the country, we strongly urge you to take clear steps that prioritize long-term contracts for the purchase of masks made by American workers in the U.S. with U.S. materials. American taxpayer dollars should support high-quality products made in America by American workers. Period.

As you know, American companies have stepped up throughout the past two years, retooling manufacturing lines to help compensate for supply chain weaknesses and to meet the need for essential products, including N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). These companies saved American lives. Thanks to the entrepreneurship and patriotism of these U.S. companies and their workers, we now have dozens more manufacturers of N95 respirators and other high-quality masks based here in the United States than we did before the pandemic, when less than 10 percent of N95 respirators were manufactured domestically. The nationwide and global reports of PPE shortages at the beginning of the pandemic underscore the necessity of maintaining domestic PPE production capability. 

Despite the urgent need for high-quality, American made products, too many U.S.-based PPE manufacturers are struggling to exist as health systems and other major purchasers of PPE choose to purchase cheaper, lower-quality masks and other supplies from China. In fact, the American Mask Manufacturer’s Association estimates that nearly 6,000 of the approximately 8,000 jobs that were created by U.S. mask manufacturers have since disappeared, due to the lack of support that these companies have received due to the continued purchase of foreign made - particularly Chinese-made-products. Regrettably, a key reason this part of the industry was offshored pre-COVID was because price was the predominant factor in purchasing. We must not compromise the health of Americans by making purchases based mainly on lowest cost. Purchasing PPE made by American workers here in the U.S. supports domestic manufacturing and helps ensure a more reliable, consistent supply chain for these essential products. It is imperative that the federal government prioritize domestic manufacturers when purchasing masks and other PPE with taxpayer dollars – not just to support American manufacturers and their workers who are eager to deliver high-quality masks, but to ensure the health and safety of Americans.

Unlike their KN95 competitors, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified American N95 respirator masks must meet rigorous standards and offer excellent protection against COVID-19 transmission. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, it “will take 25 hours for an infectious dose of COVID-19 to transmit between people wearing non-fit-tested N95 respirators. If they’re using tightly sealed N95s – where only 1% of particles enter the facepiece – they will have 2,500 hours of protection.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning that approximately 60 percent of KN95 respirators in the U.S. are counterfeit, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised quality concerns with healthcare providers about Chinese-made PPE.  Recognizing the risk that lower-quality, potentially counterfeit products pose to the health and national security of Americans, Congress acted in December 2021 to prohibit U.S. Department of Defense from purchasing any PPE – including masks – from China (Public Law No. 117-81, sec. 802) or other non-allied nations. Congress also provided $10 billion in the American Rescue Plan for the federal government to purchase needed medical supplies, including N95 and other FDA-authorized masks. The entire United States government should hold itself to this higher standard that prioritizes American lives and American manufacturers over competition from China.

Purchasing NIOSH approved N95 respirators and other high-quality masks, such as FDA-authorized surgical masks, made by American workers here in the U.S. to fulfill your commitment to distribute hundreds of millions of free, high-quality masks to the American people advances our shared goals for supporting domestic manufacturing and ensuring a more reliable, consistent supply chain for these essential products. Doing so not only helps to prevent further loss of life, keep our kids in school, and ensure our economy remains open, but it will also ensure that the United States maintains a robust PPE manufacturing capacity so that we are never again in a situation where we must be dependent on foreign-made products, like we were in the early days of the pandemic. It also supports a healthy, stable supply chain for higher quality products, which offer superior protection against the transmission of COVID-19.

We strongly urge you to prioritize the use of federal taxpayer dollars for the procurement and distribution of domestically made PPE that meets high-quality standards from established, proven, and vetted suppliers in future purchases – including those meant to fulfill your recent commitment to provide American adults and children with access to no-cost high quality masks, as well as those to replenish the SNS following this initial distribution of masks.

Thank you for your strong leadership in these challenging times, and for your demonstrated commitment to supporting American businesses and workers.

Sincerely,

A copy of the letter to top federal officials:

Dear Mr. Blanton and Ms. Berry:

We write to share our frustration with the decision to provide members of the U.S. House of Representatives with KN95 masks made in China. We strongly urge you to take clear steps that ensure future mask purchases and orders for other essential products and personal protective equipment (PPE) prioritize products made in the U.S. using U.S. materials made by American workers. American taxpayer dollars should support high-quality products made in America by American workers. Period.

American companies have stepped up throughout the past two years, retooling manufacturing lines to help compensate for supply chain weaknesses and to meet the need for essential products, including N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). These companies saved American lives. Thanks to the entrepreneurship and patriotism of these U.S. companies and their workers, we now have dozens more manufacturers of N95 respirators and other high-quality masks based here in the United States than we did before the pandemic, when less than 10 percent of N95 respirators were manufactured domestically. The nationwide and global reports of PPE shortages at the beginning of the pandemic underscore the necessity of maintaining domestic PPE production capability. 

Despite the urgent need for high-quality, American made products, too many U.S.-based PPE manufacturers are struggling to exist as health systems and other major purchasers of PPE choose to purchase cheaper, lower-quality masks and other supplies from China. In fact, the American Mask Manufacturer’s Association estimates that nearly 6,000 of the approximately 8,000 jobs that were created by U.S. mask manufacturers have since disappeared, due to the lack of support that these companies have received due to the continued purchase of foreign made - particularly Chinese-made-products. Regrettably, a key reason this part of the industry was offshored pre-COVID was because price was the predominant factor in purchasing. It is unacceptable that the federal legislative branch – using taxpayer dollars – has chosen to purchase potentially inferior masks from China when we have domestic manufacturers eager to deliver high-quality masks. We must not compromise the health of Americans by making purchases based mainly on lowest cost.

Unlike their KN95 competitors, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified American N95 respirator masks must meet rigorous standards and offer excellent protection against COVID-19 transmission. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, it “will take 25 hours for an infectious dose of COVID-19 to transmit between people wearing non-fit-tested N95 respirators. If they’re using tightly sealed N95s – where only 1% of particles enter the facepiece – they will have 2,500 hours of protection.”  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning that approximately 60 percent of KN95 respirators in the U.S. are counterfeit, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised quality concerns with healthcare providers about Chinese-made PPE. Recognizing the risk that lower-quality, potentially counterfeit products pose to the health and national security of Americans, Congress acted in December 2021 to prohibit U.S. Department of Defense from purchasing any PPE – including masks – from China (Public Law No. 117-81, sec. 802) or other non-allied nations. Congress also provided $10 billion in the American Rescue Plan for the federal government to purchase needed medical supplies, including N95 and other FDA-authorized masks. The legislative branch of the United States government should also hold itself to this higher standard that prioritizes American lives and American manufacturers over competition from China.

Purchasing PPE made by American workers here in the U.S. supports domestic manufacturing and helps ensure a more reliable, consistent supply chain for these essential products. It also supports higher quality products, which offer superior protection against the transmission of COVID-19. We strongly urge you to prioritize the use of federal taxpayer dollars for the procurement and distribution of domestically made PPE that meets high quality standards from established, proven, and vetted suppliers in future purchases.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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