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"&lt;p&gt;A congressional panel has accused the Trump administration of vastly overpaying for 43,000 ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic after mismanaging the negotiations for a critical contract.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The staff report written by a House Oversight subcommittee blames the administration for accepting ventilator manufacturer Philips Respironics&amp;apos; first offer in March 2020, agreeing to a higher price than every other American purchaser negotiating a contract with the company between mid-December 2019 and May 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;A non-invasive ventilator for the treatment of patients with coronavirus. (Getty)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report claims that the Trump administration could have overpaid by as much as US$500 million ($700 million), comparing its contract to one negotiated by the Obama administration in 2014. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report cites &amp;quot;thousands of pages of previously non-public documents&amp;quot;, including emails between Philips and the Administration. Both the White House and Philips reject the report&amp;apos;s conclusions.&lt;/p&gt;"
<https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-australia-live-updates-august-2-victoria-tougher-restrictions-queensland-border-death-toll-protests/9c4d3048-f7cb-4b9e-9af3-e2fc8aa9a054>