Andrew Cuomo Sounds National Security Warning: Everything We Need Is Made in China

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo complained at a press conference on Friday that everything the state needed to fight the coronavirus was made in China, which should be a strong wakeup call for leaders in the United States.

“You want to talk about lessons learned?” he said. “We need masks, they’re made in China; we need gowns, they’re made in China; we need face shields, they’re made in China; we need ventilators, they’re made in China.”

Cuomo expressed relief that most of their immediate equipment needs had finally been met but noted that much needed chemical agents for testing were also made in China.

“No one has the chemicals because everyone’s been overrun with demand, and the chemicals come out of where? China, where everything has come from the last 40 days,” he said.

Cuomo chuckled with apparent exasperation.

“How? How?” Cuomo asked. “And these are all like national security issues when you’re in this situation.”

Cuomo said that New York had representatives in China to help them acquire equipment but urged the federal government to do more so that states were not competing with each other.

“I don’t do China relations, I don’t do international supply chain, and that’s where the federal government can help,” he said.

Cuomo called the current process “mayhem” and asked the federal government for more resource controls.

“The federal government cannot wipe their hands of this and say the states are responsible for testing,” he said. “We cannot do it without federal help.”