President Trump invokes the Defense Production Act

After weeks of his critics demanding that he use the Defense Production Act, President Donald Trump announced that he would use the act to order General Motors to manufacture ventilators.

"Today, I signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use any and all authority available under the Defense Production Act to require General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize federal contracts for ventilators," Trump said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier on Friday the president signaled that he was close to issuing the order when he tweeted about GM and their negotiations with the federal government.

"General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!!" he tweeted.

"FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!!" he added emphatically.

The Trump administration has been criticized by some for what appears to be a lack of medical equipment to tackle the pandemic that was months in coming. The administration has argued that previous administrations, both the Obama and the last Bush administration, are to blame for the shortages.

GM says it expects to be able to produce 10,000 ventilators on a monthly basis once they are able to repurpose their production line.

Here's more about the Defense Production Act:

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