Language on a government website regarding the Strategic National Stockpile has been altered following a claim by President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
Kushner during a White House briefing on Thursday claimed, as states seek help from the federal government in obtaining personal protective equipment and ventilators in the coronavirus pandemic, that "the notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile. It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use."
After his comments, it was quickly pointed out that a Department of Health and Human Services website, in fact, describes the Strategic National Stockpile as being "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," also saying that "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."
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But on Friday, The Washington Post reported that this description has since been altered and replaced with a new one more in line with what Kushner said. Now, the Strategic National Stockpile is described as a "short-term stopgap buffer" intended "to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies." The new description also says "many states have products stockpiled."
Kushner faced criticism for his Thursday claim, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) tweeting, "This is just wrong." The Post's Aaron Blake described the assertion from Kushner as "an awfully bizarre claim," as "the very program that Kushner now suggests wasn't meant to be for states was clearly intended to be."
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