[Red State] After being called into action small businesses are becoming punished by the government.Since overturned by HHS
One of the under-reported stories from the year was how President Trump made numerous moves to take down the governmental blockages to businesses for the sake of getting help in dealing with the pandemic. When ventilators were said to be at a crisis-inducing low the President removed some of the federal restrictions that prevented different companies from partnering on the production of the needed equipment. He also made a similar move in regards to the nation’s brewers and distillers.
When the pandemic was initially breaking out across the country two realities were in play for these businesses. There was a steep drop in their commerce, and the country was in need of cleansing products in the name of safety. The producers of alcohol-based products were in a unique position to fill a void quickly, and the administration saw fit to remove the thresholds and blockages preventing them from otherwise producing hand sanitizer.
Distilleries were not licensed and permitted to make a product regarded as a healthcare item, but the executive orders cleared the way for these companies to begin using their alcohol production for sanitizing products. Now those same small businesses which rose to the occasion are being punished. The FDA this week has come out with the announcement — those alcohol producers who helped get sanitizer to healthcare workers and nursing homes are being hit with a sizable bill — a charge of $14,060.