3M warned on Friday that the Trump administration's request for the company to stop exporting respirator masks could actually make the protective gear less available in the United States.

The Minnesota manufacturing giant issued the warning a day after President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to force 3M to step up its production of desperately needed respirator masks for front-line health workers to use in the fight against the coronavirus.

The text of Trump's order issued Thursday night directs acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to "use any and all authority available under the Act to acquire, from any appropriate subsidiary or affiliate of 3M Company, the number of N-95 respirators that the Administrator determines to be appropriate."

In its statement, the company said the Trump administration "also requested that 3M cease exporting respirators that we currently manufacture in the United States to the Canadian and Latin American markets."

It added that "there are, however, significant humanitarian implications of ceasing respirator supplies" to health care workers in those countries, where 3M is a "critical supplier of respirators."

"In addition, ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done," 3M added. "If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease."

"That is the opposite of what we and the Administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek."