PHILIP B. SCOTT GOVERNOR State of Vermont OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR March 27, 2020 The Honorable Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: Thank you for all that you and your Administration are doing in response to COVID-19. As we face a growing number of cases of coronavirus here in Vermont and across the country, there is no doubt these are difficult and uncertain times. Like my fellow governors, I have declared a State of Emergency for the State of Vermont, and we’ve put in place a wide range of aggressive mitigation measures to slow this pandemic. My Administration is working tirelessly with Vermonters to ensure everyone understands our first mission: to work together as one community, and one country, to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save American lives. However, as we continue to work on our highest priority to protect the health of Vermonters, I write to you today to urge you to utilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to get critical equipment and supplies necessary. In Vermont, we are particularly concerned about being able to secure enough ventilators for critically ill patients. While the State is working to supplement the health care facilities supply chains, ventilators are increasingly difficult for states to procure and your intervention, through the power provided to you in the DPA, is urgently needed to ensure we have the tools we need to save as many Americans as possible. Please, Mr. President, use the DPA to order the expedited production of ventilators, and other essential supplies. Doing so will help us save many American lives. Thank you for the assistance of the federal government during this challenging time, and your attention to this critically important matter. Sincerely, Philip B. Scott Governor 109 STATE STREET ♦ THE PAVILION ♦ MONTPELIER, VT 05609-0101 ♦ WWW.VERMONT.GOV TELEPHONE: 802.828.3333 ♦ FAX: 802.828.3339 ♦ TDD: 802.828.3345