Letter to Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States - Representative Tim Ryan Urges President Biden to Provide American-Made N-95 Masks to all American Households

Letter

Dear Mr. President,

We are at a crossroads in our fight against COVID-19. The new Omicron variant, while causing
less severe symptoms in most cases, is highly contagious, and is causing severe strain on
hospitals, schools, and businesses in every corner of the United States. Vaccines have proven
effective in fighting the virus, particularly in reducing hospitalization rates and deaths, but
Omicron is still raging, and causing breakthrough cases among the vaccinated population at a
rate much higher than previous variants.

Nearly two years into our nation's battle against this deadly virus, we have learned that one of
the most effective ways to stop the spread of the virus is through the use of quality-certified,
high-filtration surgical masks and respirators, like N-95s -- for both vaccinated and unvaccinated
individuals. As such, these higher-quality masks -- including those that have been authorized for
use in medical settings by the FDA and respirators (N-95s) certified by NIOSH -- are a critical
tool in our fight against COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many U.S. based manufacturers answered the call to action
and began onshoring manufacturing operations to produce these critical PPE products, and
reduce our reliance on foreign made -- particularly Chinese-made -- products. While there are
foreign-made masks that have received FDA authorization or NIOSH certification, there are
significant concerns about counterfeiting and quality controls when purchasing such face
coverings from abroad. In fact, the CDC estimates that as many as 60% of KN95 masks coming
from China are counterfeit. At the same time, there are American manufacturers with hundreds
of millions of high-quality masks sitting on their shelves that could slow the spread of the virus
and save lives. As long-time champions of promoting American manufacturing and re-shoring
critical supply chains from China, this does not sit well with us.

We ask that the administration consider using resources already allocated by Congress for
COVID-19-related expenses to purchase and distribute these American-made, quality certified
masks, to every American household that requests them. This can be done in conjunction with
the administration's reported plan to mail at-home test kits to American households, and with an
only nominal increase in the total cost.

In addition, the administration should engage in an awareness campaign to disabuse American
businesses and individuals of the notion that foreign-made PPE is as reliably safe and effective as
domestically-made and authorized PPE. It is time for the government to ensure all Americans
have easy, regular access to high-quality, American-made masks.

We thank you for your commitment to fighting COVID-19. We strongly encourage the
administration to take the opportunity to prevent further loss of life, keep our kids in school, and
support American manufacturers and American workers that courageously answered the call to
protect our country by leveraging the federal government's substantial authority to prioritize
American-made masks and PPE.

Sincerely,[...]

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