Trump Expected to Have FEMA Direct Virus Supplies Among States

The Trump administration is expected to soon direct how manufacturers will distribute crucial medical supplies -- including protective gear and ventilators -- to combat the coronavirus outbreak, alleviating what U.S. governors have complained is a chaotic marketplace for the products.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will take charge of allocating the supplies nationwide, according to three people familiar with the matter, under a clause of the Defense Production Act. The law gives the government vast powers to direct industrial production in crises, but President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he’s reluctant to use it.

Governors, however, have complained publicly that ...