FDA relaxes rules to boost auto companies making ventilators for coronavirus effort

The Food and Drug Administration temporarily relaxed regulations on manufacturing regulators to give private companies more flexibility to build medical supplies needed to combat the coronavirus.

Ford, General Motors, and Tesla are adapting their facilities from building automobiles to pumping out regulators for hospitals struggling under an influx of COVID-19 patients. The federal government is simultaneously easing regulations to help the car companies pass through the bureaucratic process to make medical supplies faster, according to Axios. This includes easing restrictions on sourcing materials, allowing companies to buy ventilator components from a broader range of suppliers.

“We believe this approach will help manufacturers that want to add production lines or manufacture at alternative sites which may have different manufacturing equipment to increase manufacturing capacity,” the FDA said about easing some policy guidelines.

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President Trump tweeted about the auto companies’ efforts on Sunday, announcing that his administration was rolling back regulations to help the companies start production on regulators more quickly.

“Ford, General Motors and Tesla are being given the go ahead to make ventilators and other metal products, FAST!” Trump tweeted. “Go for it auto execs, lets see how good you are?”

Auto companies have taken a financial hit because of the coronavirus pandemic. Demand for cars has sunk as people have stayed home as they abide by social distancing regulations.