Lawmakers question $3M mask purchase
Chinese goods supplied by former White House aide may not protect against coronavirus
New Mexico and Arizona lawmakers are demanding answers about a former White House official supplying potentially flawed respirator masks to Navajo Nation hospitals strained by a severe COVID-19 outbreak.
U.S. senators from New Mexico and Arizona senators and other congressional leaders in a letter called on Indian Health Service Director Rear Adm. Michael Weahkee to address “troubling reports” the agency bought $3 million worth of potentially subpar masks from a company founded by former White House deputy chief of staff Zach Fuentes.
The masks then were distributed to hospitals in New Mexico and Arizona amid an outbreak that is ravaging the Navajo Nation.
“With nearly 5,000 positive cases and over 150 deaths, the Navajo Nation has reported the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
“The IHS facilities serving the Tribe are in dire need of PPE [personal protective equipment] to combat the virus and ensure medical personnel are protected from potential exposure.”
The lawmakers said they were concerned by reports the contract was awarded to Fuentes, who has no prior federal contracting service, with little competitive bidding. They also questioned how the agency could award a contract only 11 days after it was created and still follow all regulations and procedures.
The Chinese-made KN95 masks Fuentes agreed to provide have come under scrutiny from U.S. regulators who have expressed concerns they offer inadequate protection, ProPublica reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found many masks produced in China don’t filter fine particles sufficiently and some have failed entirely, the nonprofit news organization added.
The lawmakers’ letter included a list of questions — ranging from whether the agency verified the masks met all Food and Drug Administration standards to how it will go about supplying suitable devices to hospitals near the Navajo Nation and whether the Indian Health Service properly vetted Fuentes.
“As Tribes in New Mexico and Arizona continue to battle this deadly virus now and into the future, it is critical that IHS follows all federal acquisition procedures to ensure the facilities that serve Tribes receive quality materials and supplies they need to keep patients and personnel safe,” lawmakers wrote.