TSA to receive 1.5 million expired N95 masks that had been sitting in a warehouse


U.S. Customs and Border Protection has almost 1.5 million expired N95 respirator masks sitting in a government warehouse in Indiana, and the Department of Homeland Security decided on Wednesday to send them to the Transportation Security Administration, three people with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post on Thursday.
N95 masks are used by doctors and nurses treating patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, and there are shortages at hospitals and medical facilities across the United States. Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its guidelines on using expired masks, saying they could be used during the coronavirus pandemic as long as they had been stored properly. The risk comes if the mask's elastic bands have deteriorated, and there isn't a proper seal against the face.
The masks are part of Customs and Border Protection's emergency supplies, and DHS officials decided to offer the masks to the TSA because they have been asking for protective equipment, three people with knowledge of the matter told the Post. The TSA said it will send the masks to airports as needed. One Trump administration official told the Post the masks were sent to TSA rather than hospitals or the Federal Emergency Management Agency because FEMA recently found masks to distribute.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
An introvert's dream? Flu camps that offer £4,400 to spend two weeks alone
Under The Radar A fortnight in isolation may not be as blissful as it sounds
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?
Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreak
Speed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agency
Speed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC