CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Chillicothe 4th Ward Councilman Richard McQuirt is making good on his promise to send “a letter a week” to the White House over federal nitrile glove contracts — and this time he’s publishing exactly what he sent, urging the public to copy it and flood the White House with the same message.
In a Facebook post Sunday, McQuirt shared the full text of his latest letters to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, writing that his last round of letters drew a response, though not the one he wanted.
“Like I promised, once a week Donald Trump and JD Vance are getting a letter from me about the nitrile glove situation and the American Glove Act,” McQuirt wrote. “If you feel the need to help, and like what I wrote, I give you permission to copy and paste what I wrote and bombard them with letters from all of us.”
The letters press the administration to pull federal nitrile glove contracts from manufacturers in China and Malaysia and award them to U.S. Medical Glove, which manufactures at the former Pixelle paper mill site in Chillicothe. McQuirt wrote that Sen. Bernie Moreno helped find a buyer for the 500-acre mill site, and that the company was promised all government nitrile glove contracts but has received only two small ones, for the Transportation Security Administration and the Army.
McQuirt wrote that he was told the reason is the cost of pulling the contracts from China and Malaysia would be too high. He also wrote that gloves U.S. Medical Glove produces for the government are being combined with gloves from China and Malaysia and packed into boxes labeled “USA Made” — a claim that has not been officially confirmed.
The letters frame the issue as a national security concern, arguing the United States should not depend on China and Malaysia for personal protective equipment in another pandemic, and urge support for the American Glove Act, which would require federal agencies to buy nitrile gloves from domestic manufacturers.
The letter to Vance adds a personal appeal, noting the vice president’s Ohio roots: “with you being an Ohio man, I have great confidence that you will help out the first capital of the buckeye state.”
The push follows McQuirt’s post earlier this month sharing what he described as a form-letter White House reply about American innovation and artificial intelligence that made no mention of gloves, the legislation, or Chillicothe — a story JNN previously reported. At the time, McQuirt said he was disappointed but not discouraged and vowed the president and vice president would hear from him weekly.
The full text of McQuirt’s letters, as published in his post:
Letter to President Trump:
“Hello Mr. President. My name is Richard McQuirt and I am a city councilman in the small town of Chillicothe Ohio. Recently we lost our 250 year old paper mill. Bernie Moreno helped in the situation by finding us a buyer for the 500 acre site that is an American Nitrile Glove Manufacturer by the name of US Medical Glove. We had high hopes for the possibility of new manufacturing taking over the site and saving us from being left with another Brownfield site in our town. Recently it was brought to my attention that the glove business is not doing so well because of bureaucratic red tape in Washington. US Medical Glove was promised all of the government contracts for nitrile gloves and as of this writing, they have only received 2 small contracts for the TSA and the Army. I have been told that the reason for this is the cost to pull the contracts from China and Malaysia and give them to a US manufacturer would be too high. I was also told that the few gloves that US Medical Glove is making for the government is being combined with the China and Malaysia gloves and being put in one box that says USA Made. I dont want to believe thats true but I received confirmation from a reliable source that this in fact true. I dont think I need to remind you of the position China and Malaysia put us in in the middle of the pandemic. I also dont believe I need to remind you of the national security risk that the United States would still be facing if another pandemic situation was to happen again and we dont control our Personal Protective Equipment. Please Mr. President, do the right thing here. Pull the glove contracts from China and Malaysia. Send those contracts to US Medical Glove here in Chillicothe Ohio. Help save our mill site and help put all of our mill workers back to work. Get behind the American Glove Act. And prove to us here in Chillicothe and all over our great country that you truly put America First. Thank you for your time.”
Letter to Vice President Vance:
“Hello Mr. Vice President. My name is Richard McQuirt and I am a city councilman in the small town of Chillicothe Ohio. Recently we lost our 250 year old paper mill. Bernie Moreno helped in the situation by finding us a buyer for the 500 acre site that is an American Nitrile Glove Manufacturer by the name of US Medical Glove. We had high hopes for the possibility of new manufacturing taking over the site and saving us from being left with another Brownfield site in our town. Recently it was brought to my attention that the glove business is not doing so well because of bureaucratic red tape in Washington. US Medical Glove was promised all of the government contracts for nitrile gloves and as of this writing, they have only received 2 small contracts for the TSA and the Army. I have been told that the reason for this is the cost to pull the contracts from China and Malaysia and give them to a US manufacturer would be too high. I was also told that the few gloves that US Medical Glove is making for the government is being combined with the China and Malaysia gloves and being put in one box that says USA Made. I dont want to believe thats true but I received confirmation from a reliable source that this in fact true. I dont think I need to remind you of the position China and Malaysia put us in in the middle of the pandemic. I also dont believe I need to remind you of the national security risk that the United States would still be facing if another pandemic situation was to happen again and we dont control our Personal Protective Equipment. Please Mr. Vice President, do the right thing here. Pull the glove contracts from China and Malaysia. Send those contracts to US Medical Glove here in Chillicothe Ohio. Help save our mill site and help put all of our mill workers back to work. Get behind the American Glove Act. And prove to us here in Chillicothe and all over our great country that you truly put America First. Also with you being and Ohio man, I have great confidence that you will help out the first capital of the buckeye state. Thank you for your time.”
