Polowczyk, made sure we had the inventory.' I asked what his daily burn was, and I basically got that number, called up Adm. Katz, who runs the system, asked him which supply was the most supply he was nervous about,' Kushner recalled. military, to get things where they need to be with the response to the outbreak.Īs he recounted Thursday, the president had called him earlier that morning about reports he was hearing about critical shortages in the New York public hospital system. The real estate developer and scion of the Kushner family, which operates the Kushner Companies, is well-connected - and he's using those connections, working with FEMA and the U.S. He has been his father-in-law's point man on issues as diverse as the Middle East peace process, immigration and now the response to the coronavirus. Part of Kushner's strength is his proximity to the president. 'The federal government needs it, too, not just the states,' he said. 'We need it for the government and the federal government,' he said, complaining that state governments should have had their own stockpiles. When asked Friday about his son-in-law's remarks, Trump said Kushner was 'talking about our country.' He has emerged with a central role working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to oversee the distribution of vital medical supplies to hospital and health care providers. So, critics have been curious about his role in the administration's efforts to confront the coronavirus pandemic.

Kushner, a real estate executive with no public health expertise, generally works behind scenes at the White House.

'This is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others.' 'What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you elect somebody to be a mayor or governor or president, you're trying to think about who will be a competent manager during the time of crisis,' he said. In a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, Kushner urged governors and some senators to be more resourceful in their own states instead of looking first to the federal government for help. Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, criticized governors Thursday, saying they don't have a handle on their own supplies of masks and ventilators needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, Trump scolded a reporter who pressed him on what Kushner meant.White House adviser Jared Kushner listens as President Trump discusses the coronavirus. “They are confused as to what their number one priority is,” Honore said.

“You have to take inventory in your own state and you have to show that there’s a real need,” the White House senior aide added.īut Honore, a frequent critic of Trump, said the government should be doling out its stockpiled supplies more freely, as it has done in the wake of natural disasters. “And the notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile it’s not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use.” “You have instances where, in cities, they’re running out, but the state still has a stockpile,” Kushner said. Kushner, who made his debut at the White House’s daily coronavirus briefing Thursday, caused a stir when he said the federal government’s supplies are meant to be a backup for the states - not their main source of ventilators, masks and other items. “And he may be confusing the situation more than he’s adding.” “He has no idea what the hell he’s talking about,” Lt. The retired US Army general who led federal relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has joined a chorus of critics slamming President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for his take on tapping the national stockpile of medical equipment during the coronavirus crisis. US agencies aren't 'following the science' on COVID - and staff are too scared to complain Globetrotter: Adams sends chief of staff abroad to lure biz to NYC Unvaccinated Americans up to 9 times more likely to die from COVID-19: CDC DeSantis' Disney hit hurts taxpayers and other commentary

Jared kushner federal stockpile