In similar news, The Trump Administration Uses Wartime Powers for First Dibs on Supplies, Ahead of States.

In regards to the use of DPA and the kerfuffle with Schumer:

Trump fired back with his own letter that evening, stating that Navy Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, currently serving as the leader of FEMA's supply chain task force, was in charge of “purchasing, distributing, etc.” 

“The Defense Production Act (DPA) has been consistently used by my team and me for the purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of equipment, medical supplies, ventilators, and other related items,” he wrote. “It has been powerful leverage, so powerful that companies generally do whatever we are asking, without even a formal notice.”

But if the government is going to take more control—which many health and government leaders have urged it to do—it should be transparent about its actions, said Dr. Atul Grover, executive vice president of the Association of American Medical Colleges. He said medical leaders have been whiplashed by their orders for protective gear falling through and speculated that they lost out to federal agencies.

Some institutions “fully expected to be able to purchase [personal protective equipment] from contractors who then turned around and said, ‘No, we’re going with another buyer instead,’” he said.

When asked about this phenomenon during Thursday’s national briefing, Trump said the governments could work it out.

“If you think there is bidding between federal government and state, let us know and we’ll drop out immediately,” Trump said. “There are 151 countries that have this problem, and they’re ordering, too. It’s really a mess.”

Dr Grover is on point that leaders need to be transparent about their actions. In this and similar reporting, however, it is not clear exactly who these leaders are. Admiral Polowczyk said he wasn't using DPA yet to directly procure. Is that true? And if it is, who else is buying?

And note how Trump throws out the assurance that "we" will drop out immediately of any bidding war. So, he admits "we" are purchasing stuff but acts like it is happening on another world where all of that stuff is not a bidding war by default.

I am going to the backyard now to break things.