3M says Trump's order allows it to export to U.S. more masks made overseas

3M said Friday that an order President Donald Trump made under the Defense Production Act will allow the Maplewood-based company to import more of its N95 respirator masks from its overseas operations.

The company had already been trying to achieve that goal, for example securing approval from China to export 10 million of the masks made there to the U.S., 3M said in a statement.

The Trump administration, it said, has requested last weekend that 3M increase the number of masks from its overseas factories. The order, 3M said, allows the company to do that.

"Over the last several weeks and months, 3M and its employees have gone above and beyond to manufacture as many N95 respirators as possible for the U.S. market," the statement said.

The DPA order Trump issued on Thursday states that the company must prioritize orders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We have been working closely with the administration to do exactly that, and we appreciate the authorities in the DPA that provide a framework for us to expand even further the work we are doing in response to the global pandemic crisis," the company said.

3M said earlier this week 80% of the masks were going to health care operations in areas hit the hardest. The other 20% were going to federal agencies, with the most going to FEMA.

3M cautioned that one element of the order gives it concern -- that it must cease exporting respirators made in the U.S. to Canada and Latin America.

The company warns there are "significant humanitarian implications of ceasing respirator supplies to health care workers in Canada and Latin America, where we are a critical supplier of respirators," the company said.

"In addition, ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done," the statement said. "If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease. That is the opposite of what we and the administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek."

3M also said it was continuing to act on reports of price gouging and unauthorized reselling of 3M respirators, working with the U.S. and state attorneys general offices.

"We look forward to working closely with the administration to implement yesterday's DPA order," the company said. "We will continue to maximize the amount of respirators we can produce on behalf of U.S. health care workers, as we have every single day since this crisis began."

CEO Mike Roman said earlier this week the company is on track to double global production of the N95 to 2 billion a year.

Catherine Roberts • 612-673-4292

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