Pelosi, Not Trump, Knew About Predicted U.S. Ventilator Shortage
CBO reported need in 2006
The New York Times now confirms what Politichicks reported over a week ago: In the event of a worse case scenario the U.S. does not have enough ventilators to cope with a coronavirus pandemic. And, predictably, The Times attempts to blame President Trump opining “The United States . . . has been slow to develop a national strategy for accelerating the production of ventilators. That appears to reflect in part the federal government’s sluggish reaction to the coronavirus, with President Trump and others initially playing down the threat.”
Since The Times and other Left-wing sites continue to politicize the U.S. response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, it’s time to set the record straight with some facts.
Congressional Budget Office in 2005: U.S. is Not Prepared
Fifteen years ago the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assessed possible macroeconomic effects of an avian flu pandemic. The director of the CBO communicated this report directly to leaders of the Senate majority as well as Senator Harry Reid, then Minority Leader United States Senate, Dennis Hastert, then Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives, and Nancy Pelosi, then Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In its 2006 report entitled “A Potential Influenza Pandemic: An Update on Possible Macroeconomic Effects and Policy Issues,” the CBO described the nation’s preparedness, concluding that even with additions of 1.2 million N95 respirator masks, 5,000 hospital beds, and 4,000 ventilators to the national stockpile, “the available supplies would be less than what would be necessary to meet the demands of a severe pandemic.”
“Ventilators would be of particular importance because sick patients with inflamed and fluid-filled lungs would need assistance with breathing. CBO’s December [2005] assessment noted that the United States has approximately 100,000 ventilators, with three-quarters of them in use on any given day. According to HHS, a severe influenza pandemic like the one in 1918 would require 750,000 ventilators to treat victims.”
Democrats Reid, Hastert, & Pelosi knew of Shortage
If United States does face a critical shortage of the lifesaving ventilators, the blame lies squarely at the feet of Nancy Pelosi and prominent congressional leaders who knew in 2006 that America was not prepared for a flu pandemic and did nothing about it. Ms. Pelosi has long been in a unique position of leadership since 2003, twice serving as House Minority Leader (2003–2007 and 2011–2019) and as Speaker of the House (2007 -2011 and 2019 to present).
Fourteen years ago Nancy Pelosi was put on notice by the CBO that “local health care systems would not have a sufficient number of beds or enough staff or supplies to meet the demand.” Speaker Pelosi and others in both political parties knew that in the event of a flu pandemic demand for beds would surge beyond seven times capacity, that hospital staffs across the country would desperately need N95 respirator masks, and that hospitals would need additional ventilators according to the CBO. Instead of addressing this matter, Nancy Pelosi focused on a heavily politicized impeachment proceeding against the President.
