As global supply chains reel under the weight of shuttered transportation and workers ordered to stay home, a Republican senator is lashing out at American dependence on items manufactured in China.
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said it is “time for us to say no more” during a fiery Wednesday speech that highlighted the vulnerability of American citizens and businesses who rely on China as a critical manufacturing giant within the world economy.
“We have already paid dearly for our reliance on Chinese drug manufacturers, and it’s not going to stop because that vulnerability is leverage in the hands of madmen in Beijing who seek nothing but power and will go to any lengths to acquire that power,” Blackburn said.
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted just how crucial China is to goods and services needed by the American public. Blackburn echoed concerns previously expressed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio by stressing the “difficulties obtaining the active ingredient” of pharmaceuticals manufactured in China during this time of crisis.
It has been estimated that up to 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredients used to produce drugs in the United States come from the Asian nation.
“We need this component to go into a pharmaceutical, we cannot get it because the factory that produces this has been affected by COVID-19,” said Blackburn. “Our vulnerability is not limited to one drug or even just a handful of drugs.”
Blackburn ended her speech with a sharp critique of China’s ruling class, suggesting that the Chinese Communist Party bureaucrats do not care who they hurt so long as they retain power.
“They don’t care who they hurt,” added Blackburn. “It’s clear with this global pandemic. They don’t care if it is innocent people that are sick or maybe even that lose their life. And they defy us, they defy us when we try to stop them.”
