Congressman Panetta Introduces Legislation to Require the President to Fully Mobilize the Defense Production Act for Testing for COVID-19

WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, April 23 Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Immediate COVID-19 Testing Procurement Act, legislation to require the President to fully mobilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to direct emergency production, procurement, and distribution of supplies needed to increase testing for COVID-19.

“We have been hunkered down because of COVID-19, but now it’s time to start hunting down this deadly disease. Without a vaccine, the best weapon we can use in our fight against the coronavirus is more accessible and accurate testing. For a number of reasons, however, we just don’t have enough tests and supplies to conduct the amount of testing needed to see and understand this disease. The use of the Defense Production Act to mass produce tests for COVID-19 will provide us with the tools necessary to properly fight the coronavirus,” said Congressman Panetta. "My legislation requires the mobilization of the DPA by the President to control the testing supply chain and procure the swabs, equipment, and reagents needed to alleviate the supply chain bottlenecks that are now occurring and end the unnecessary competition between states and health care providers.

Over the past three years, the Administration has used the Defense Production Act thousands of times to place orders to ensure the procurement of vital equipment ranging from vehicle components to equipment to prepare for natural disasters. Just recently, the President invoked the DPA to procure testing swabs. However, there are still shortages in reagents and other component materials needed to ramp up tests on a large enough scale. These shortages have severely limited the number of tests deployed each day, slowing our nation’s response to COVID-19.

Comments

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

King City CHP is searching for person of interest who fled the scene of a fatal crash in Greenfield

On Monday, September 16 at approximately 3:50 pm, a fatal traffic collision occurred on Metz Road south of Elm Avenue in Greenfield. The driver who caused the collision fled on foot and is currently outstanding. The California Highway Patrol King City Area is currently seeking the whereabouts of 31-year-old Agustin Santana-Moncada of King City who has been identified as a person of interest in the case. The King City Area is requesting assistance from the public in locating Santana-Moncada. Anyone with information is asked to contact the King City Area office at (831) 385-3216.

KRKC COUNTRY

Search This Blog