U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will invoke the Defense Production Act, which allows the administration to force American industry to ramp up production of medical supplies, to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
"It can do a lot of good things if we need it," Trump said during a White House briefing with reporters.
"We need millions of masks," Trump said. "We need respirators."
Hospitals and states across the United States have pleaded with the federal government for more supplies to protect doctors and nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic, according to a report by The Hill.
However, Trump did not say how, precisely, the Defense Production Act would be used and he suggested that the administration is still deciding.
The announcement came as the White House and Congress negotiate a trillion-dollar economic stimulus plan to combat the coronavirus outbreak across the country.
