Speaking with CNN's "State of the Union" host Jake Tapper, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) slapped aside claims by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner saying states have all the coronavirus support they need.
Addressing armed protesters who stormed the state capitol in Michigan demanding stay at home restrictions be dropped, Whitmer began by stating, "We've lost in the last 24 hours almost the same number of Americans that were killed on 9/11, and that's just in the last 24 hours. We need to listen to the expertise and our institutions of higher learning and our health system and make decisions that are going to protect the lives of everyone. whether you agree with me or not."
"White House senior adviser Jared Kushner told the Washington Post yesterday, quote, 'We figured out how to get all the states enough complete testing kits to do the testing they requested. We can get to a really big number in May, the biggest thing holding us back is not supplies or capacity, it's the states' ability to collect more samples,' unquote," Tapper noted. "Is that true in Michigan the biggest problem is the state's ability to collect samples?"
"That's not true in Michigan," Whitmer shot back. "I can't speak for all the other states but I've heard a lot of my fellow governors on the same calls that we've been on with the federal government, and I know that many of us are still looking to get swabs and re-agents and additional test kits. And so we've never been able to get to full capacity because we are missing things in the supply chain. and that's part of why I think so many of us on both sides of the aisle have really called on more of, you know, a national strategy on these fronts."
Watch below:
Shares