The governors told the president that after he suggested they seek their own medical supplies earlier in the week, suppliers had canceled orders with state governments for a better deal: competing bids from the federal government.
“I’ve got to tell you that on three good orders, we lost to the feds,” Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, told Trump. “I’ve got a feeling that if someone has the chance to sell to you and to sell to me, I am going to lose on every one of those.”
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said her state had experienced canceled orders as well and prodded the president to have the federal government coordinate the national scramble to buy vital equipment.
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Governors Brian Kemp of Georgia, a Republican, and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, a Democrat, told Trump that they’re concerned about state revenue shortfalls as the virus slows the U.S. economy.
“I think some of us may need that help in a matter of weeks, not months,” Raimondo said.
Multiple governors recommended the administration push for block grants – which would give states wide discretion to allocate federal dollars – as part of the White House’s plan for a $1.3 trillion stimulus package to help the nation recover from the economic impact of the virus.
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