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Three Democratic senators on Monday requested an independent investigation into the arrangement forged between the federal government and six for-profit companies to rapidly transport protective medical gear from overseas to the front lines of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration has said it created the initiative — called Project Airbridge — to ease crippling shortages of personal protective equipment, or PPE. Under the arrangement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent approximately $154 million to fly supplies secured by the six companies from overseas into the United States. (Brittain and Stanley-Becker, 6/9)

The Veterans Affairs Department on Tuesday defended itself against criticism of past shortages of masks and other medical gear to protect employees from the coronavirus but acknowledged its current supplies may not be enough to handle a second wave. Dr. Richard Stone, the top health official at VA, said at the height of the pandemic its 170 medical centers were going through 250,000 N95 masks per day — a “daunting amount.” (Yen, 6/9)

Relief workers are broadly restricted from using United States funding to buy surgical masks, gloves and other protective medical gear to confront the coronavirus overseas, in order to keep that equipment available for health providers in America, according to regulations issued Tuesday by the United States Agency for International Development. The new rules did grant an exception: The money can be used to buy equipment if it is produced in the part of the world where it would be used. (Jakes, 6/9)