Top Republicans press VA on reliance on Chinese medical supplies

Top Republicans on the select China House committee launched an inquiry Thursday into the Department of Veterans Affairs’s (VA) reliance on China for medical supplies, raising questions about whether it has taken any action to sever supply chain ties that create a national security risk.

Reps. Mike Gallagher (Wis.) and Mike Bost (Ill.) sent a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough concerned about thousands of medical equipment still being sourced through China since the COVID-19 pandemic without a clear path to reduce the reliance on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“If our reliance on Chinese manufacturing and our lack of sufficient domestic production are not
properly addressed, our public health supply chain will remain at risk of manipulation by the
CCP, putting Americans in danger in future emergencies,” the lawmakers wrote.

The news was first reported by CNN.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a vulnerability in the U.S., which has grown reliant on China for medical supplies, such as personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and antibiotics.

During the pandemic, China nationalized control and production of medical supplies in the country, which directed all production for domestic use. This led to critical shortages of medical supplies in the U.S. because of reduced exports.

China takes about 30 percent of the global market for pharmaceuticals and is continuing to grow, according to the International Trade Administration.

In 2019, China exported $9.8 billion in medical supplies to the U.S., according to a Congressional Research Service report.

The Biden administration in a 2021 executive order outlined steps and plans to create a more reliable medical supply chain, but Republicans are questioning if any of the strategies are being implemented to achieve the objective.

“Like so many other government reports, we are concerned that this report is gathering dust on a shelf and failing to translate into action,” Gallagher and Bost wrote in the letter.

The lawmakers are concerned particularly about the VA as the largest health care system in the U.S. and the biggest buyer of medical supplies in the federal government.

They are requesting documents and related information about steps being taken on the concerns by Nov. 29, demanding to know if the VA has assessed, researched or moved to address any of the issues related to bolstering the U.S. medical supply chain.