Jared Kushner doesn't appear to know how the federal stockpile works

Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, raised eyebrows on Thursday when he referred to the Strategic National Stockpile as "our stockpile."

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals across the country are asking for more personal protective equipment and ventilators, in order to keep workers safe and treat seriously-ill patients. States in turn are requesting help from the federal government to fill these needs, but their appeals have left Kushner flummoxed.

"The notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile," he said during Thursday's coronavirus briefing. "It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use."

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That's actually exactly how it works. The Strategic National Stockpile describes itself as having "the nation's largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out. When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency."