Washington, DC (CNN) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in an interview Friday that her state is not getting the health and safety equipment needed to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus because contractors are sending their products to the federal government first.

Whitmer, a Democrat, said in an interview on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" that her state's shipments of personal protective equipment are being "canceled" or "delayed."

"Well, we've entered into a number of contracts, and as we get closer to the date when shipments are supposed to come in, they are getting canceled -- getting delayed," Whitmer told Blitzer.

Whitmer said her state was notified that shipments of protective equipment such as face masks are going "first to the federal government" ahead of the states.

"I know Michigan is not alone. I saw Gov. Charlie Baker, Republican from Massachusetts, essentially say the same thing. Same thing with Mayor Garcetti out in Los Angeles. This is an issue we are confronting as a nation, where we are bidding against one another, where we are struggling to grab every PPE (personal protective equipment) we can get our hands on," she added.

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