Last Updated on March 31, 2020
Former Republican Michigan Congressman Kerry Bentivolio told National File that Democrat Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office rejected his offer to provide her with thousands of medical face masks that he obtained to help the people of Michigan.
Whitmer has criticized President Donald Trump’s administration for supposedly failing to deliver face masks and other medical supplies to her state.
Trump approved Michigan’s Major Disaster Declaration, which qualifies Whitmer’s state for FEMA relief. As of the afternoon of Wednesday March 25, Whitmer had still not requested an emergency declaration to FEMA, even though she was taking to cable news to criticize Trump’s federal government for supposedly abandoning her.
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Whitmer said Saturday that FEMA delivered 112,000 N95 face masks to her state.
Previously, Whitmer’s office rejected Bentivolio’s help while claiming in the press to be short-handed.
Bentivolio purchased 3,000 N95 face masks to help people in his state, and he’s receiving another 2,000 masks from Texas.
Bentivolio, who served in Congress from Michigan’s 11th District from 2013 to 2015, said he called Whitmer’s office after he received the masks, and spoke to one of the governor’s representatives.
“I just called them and said, I’ll deliver them to wherever. They said, we’re not interested,” Bentivolio said.
Whitmer’s office said that Bentivolio is not on the “approved list of contractors,” but would not explain to the former congressman what he needed to do to get on the approved list of contractors, Bentivolio said.
“They couldn’t get me off the phone fast enough,” Bentivolio said.
Whitmer publicly put out a call for medical supply donations days ago due to supposed Trump malevolence.
“Right now, medical professionals across the state are forced to reuse face masks. This increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 during a time when we should do everything we can to mitigate it. We’re not getting the tools we need from the federal government, so it’s on all of us to work together to protect each other,” Whitmer stated.
Whitmer also issued an order warning that the state could investigate medical professionals who prescribe hydroxychloroquine for Coronavirus, after President Donald Trump promoted the anti-malarial drug as a treatment for COVID-19.
