8:49 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020
FEMA obtains test kits from private market
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez
Hours after Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Pete Gaynor told CNN the administration will start wielding the powers in the Defense Production Act for 60,000 tests kits and "use the allocation portion of the DPA,” FEMA press secretary Lizzie Litzow said the agency was able to procure the kits from the private market.
"At the last minute we were able to procure the test kits from the private market without evoking the DPA,” Litzow said in a statement Monday evening.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump and Gaynor contradicted each other on whether the Defense Production Act was being used in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Trump tweeted, "The Defense Production Act is in full force, but haven't had to use it because no one has said NO! Millions of masks coming as back up to States."
Minutes later, Gaynor told CNN the administration was going to use the law.
"Just a little while ago my team came in and we're actually going to use the DPA for first time today," Gaynor said. In addition, FEMA will "insert some language into these mask contracts we have of 500 million masks," Gaynor said. "DPA language will be in that today."
Trump suggested at Tuesday’s afternoon briefing that his recent authorization of the DPA serves as enough “leverage” to compel companies to produce medical supplies without invoking the act to force them to start up production.