Reporter Challenges Psaki On ‘Optics’ of Sending Americans Covid Tests That Say ‘Made in China’

Bloomberg White House correspondent Jennifer Epstein pressed White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the “optics” of sending Covid tests to Americans that say “Made in China” on them.

The administration, and Psaki in particular, took heat a few months ago when demand for tests overtook efforts to ramp up, and Psaki — while describing those efforts — derided the idea of sending tests to very home in America. She later clarified that sending a test to every American could result in wasted unused tests.

In December, President Joe Biden announced a plan to distribute half a billion free tests to any American who requested one, and in an interview at the time, told ABC’s David Muir that “I wish I had thought about ordering” 500 million tests “two months ago.”

Critics wondered if the website would work or when the tests would actually arrive once ordered, but people had already begun receiving them by the end of January.

At Wednesday’s press briefing, Epstein noted what she saw as another potential pitfall:

MS. EPSTEIN: The Chinese company Andon Health owns iHealth, which is one of the providers. They have a — they signed a $1.3 billion contract with the Pentagon last month for these tests.

Is the administration concerned about, sort of, both the — the, sort of, optics and messaging of sending something to Americans’ homes that says — says “Made in China” on it at the same time that you’re, you know, doing this thing that you consider to be a positive good for Americans, and just kind of the overall, you know, philosophy of giving federal contracts to China?

MS. PSAKI: Well, I would say our objective continues to be to increase U.S. manufacturing capacity of tests. We also needed to meet a need that we had in this country for more tests and a shortage of tests and the understandable demand from people across this country to get tests and make them free and accessible, which required us purchasing some of those tests from China in order to meet that demand.

But that doesn’t change our commitment to increasing our U.S. manufacturing to ensure that we will be able to meet that demand with products made here in the United States over the course of time.

Left unsaid by Psaki: that the “optics and messaging” of falling short on testing because the government refused to purchase tests from China might also not be great.

Watch above via NBC News