#ConfabNE is a conversation that publishes in 15 Gannett New England newspapers in four states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Join the conversation.

A nationwide shortage of medical equipment and protective gear needed to treat people with the coronavirus has led to growing arguments over who's responsible for providing necessary supplies and who gets what share of the equipment available now.

State and federal leaders, in particular, are publicly expressing disagreement over how equipment is being distributed as the crisis continues. States are clamoring for more federal support and warning of life-threatening shortages, especially for ventilators. The federal government is distributing equipment but the process it's following to determine what states receive is unclear.  At the same time, President Trump is criticizing states for being unprepared and suggesting they should have created their own stockpiles.

On April 4, the President told a news briefing, "Some states have more ventilators than they need. They don't even like to admit it. They'll admit it when everything's over but that doesn't help us very much.”

Here's our question: Should states be responsible for obtaining the equipment they need? Is the federal government shirking its duties? Is the conflict creating unnecessary competition over protective and medical equipment?

Tell us below. Responses will be published online on April 16.