WASHINGTON, D.C.– Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after Congressional leaders announced roughly $8 billion in emergency supplemental funding to help the Federal Government better respond to the community spread of the highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) by enhancing diagnostic testing capacity and capabilities, enhancing disease surveillance and mitigating the harmful impacts of this public health emergency:
“While the risks of coronavirus to Americans remains low, we should all be glad that—in the absence of effective leadership from the Trump Administration--Congress stepped up in a bipartisan manner to propose legislation that recognizes just how severe this public health crisis could become if we don’t act quickly and effectively to implement mitigation measures. By more than tripling Donald Trump’s initial inadequate request for emergency funds, Congress is taking the lead in making sure that agencies tasked with protecting the public health finally have the resources necessary to improve diagnostic testing, enhance disease monitoring and mitigate the harmful impacts resulting from community spread of COVID-19. I urge Senator McConnell to bring this proposal to a vote as soon as possible.”
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Earlier this week, Duckworth sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging the agency take immediate action to dramatically improve establish clear diagnostic testing procedures, capabilities and production capacity to better mitigate against the impact of the highly contagious coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) that is spreading throughout communities in the United States. Duckworth also wrote to the U.S. Small Business Administration to request the agency establishes a task force focused on effectively and efficiently providing assistance to small businesses harmed by the outbreak of COVID-19.
