CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe councilman who wrote President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance urging support for legislation that would steer federal glove contracts to American makers says the White House wrote back — with a form letter about artificial intelligence that never mentions gloves.
Richard McQuirt, who represents Chillicothe’s 4th Ward, posted the response just after midnight Monday. He said he wrote the president and vice president a while back to bring attention to the glove situation.
“This was the letter I got back in return,” McQuirt wrote. “Needless to say, Im a little disappointed but Im not discouraged. If they are willing to write back to respond, then they are gonna get a letter a week from this councilman.”
The letter, dated Sept. 17, is a generic White House message on American innovation and AI — with no reference to gloves, the legislation, or Chillicothe, according to the post.
The glove situation is the American Glove Act of 2026, which would require federal agencies including the Defense Department, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security to buy nitrile gloves exclusively from qualified domestic manufacturers. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio introduced the Senate version Aug. 4; a House version was introduced Oct. 1. Both bills are in committee.
The bill matters in Chillicothe because the U.S. Medical Glove Company is manufacturing nitrile gloves at the former Pixelle paper mill, supporting roughly 150 jobs, with gloves already approved for Transportation Security Administration use — positioning the plant for the federal contracts the legislation would create.
McQuirt’s hashtags — #Relentless, #AmericanGloveAct, #USMedicalGloveemployees, #Chillicothejobs — made his point: he is not done writing.
