Coronavirus

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I just want to first say that I agree with everything the Senator from New Jersey just said, and I think it is important to heed his message, because as of this afternoon, we are officially facing a global pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has spread to more than 100 countries around the world. The World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. The economic repercussions have taken on a global dimension. This is also a virus that is impacting Americans on a very personal dimension.

Massachusetts residents are worried about keeping their children, their families, and themselves safe. Day to day, even hour to hour, there is a lot of uncertainty during this public health emergency. Will I be able to work? Will I be able to get medical care? Will I be able to pay the mortgage or the rent?

There is one thing I want my constituents to know for certain. I share your concern for your loved ones, and your safety is my top priority. We need our response to this emergency to match the seriousness of the crisis.

I commend the Governors and mayors across this country who have stepped up and provided leadership to their constituents, including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who has wisely and swiftly declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts, and our great mayor of Boston, Martin Walsh, who has led early on this issue to make sure that we deal with this crisis.

We need that leadership more than ever because we are seeing a dangerous complete abdication of leadership from Donald Trump. His mismanagement of this crisis is unconscionable. It is immoral, and the harm it is causing the American people is an injustice. The Trump administration has let this crisis spin out of control.

President Trump has repeatedly said the risk is low and minimized the implications of the disease, even saying that Americans are unlikely to die from an infection. But just today, Dr. Tony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Nation's leading expert on infectious diseases, explained that coronavirus is 10 times more lethal than the flu. The administration overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that the elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly.

Trump has called efforts to draw attention to the real risk of coronavirus, the new Democrat-created ``hoax.'' Just today, it is being reported that the White House has ordered top officials to treat top- level coronavirus meetings as classified, further hampering information sharing in our response to this virus.

We saw what a lack of transparency, misinformation, and denial did in China with the spread of this virus. We cannot allow that to happen in the United States of America. The bottom line: Families need clear, nonbiased, accurate, and reassuring information. They need it from public health officials. They need it from their elected leaders. There should be no partisanship in pandemics.

The President and his administration have undermined science and our scientists. We have the best scientists in the world. We must put their expertise to work to solve this challenge. We have shown that we can do that. Congress came together and quickly passed $8.3 billion in emergency funding to respond to this crisis, but we can do much more.

First, the President should immediately declare the coronavirus pandemic an emergency under the Stafford Act. That direction would allow FEMA to access over $42 billion in disaster relief funds and support States and communities directly as they deal with the spread of this virus. I am officially calling on President Trump to do that today: Declare this an emergency under the Stafford Act. Free up the FEMA money of $42 billion in disaster relief so that we can work on this issue right now, dealing with it in a way that reflects the seriousness of the threat. The President should act today.

Second, we need widespread and free coronavirus testing and affordable treatment for all.

Third, we need to increase the Federal Medicaid assistance percentage. This would increase the amount of Federal dollars that go into Medicaid, immediately pumping more resources into States to deal with this health crisis. We did this during the great recession as a way to assist States in providing medical care. We should do it again, and I will be introducing legislation to accomplish that.

Fourth, we need to ensure paid sick leave for our workers. We need to pass Senator Patty Murray's legislation to provide an additional 14 days' sick leave immediately in the event of any public health emergency, including the current coronavirus crisis.

Fifth, we need to enhance unemployment insurance and expand and support programs like SNAP and Women, Infants, and Children and school lunch and other initiatives to support food security. Banks should suspend payments on mortgages for those struggling with the economic impacts of this crisis, and we should provide rental assistance for those who need it.

Sixth, we need to protect consumers, and that includes shielding them from scams and price gouging, which I called on Amazon to do. Amazon took action by removing bad actors from the site who were charging upwards of $400 for hand sanitizer. No one should be allowed to reap a windfall from fear and human suffering.

We need to provide clear guidance on protections for frontline health workers and access to needed protective equipment. In a pandemic, our healthcare workers are heroes, but these heroes need help. We have to make sure they get the protective gear they need.

The coronavirus is not the first and it will not be the last biothreat the United States faces. That is why I have introduced legislation that provides $1 billion for research into a universal coronavirus vaccine that prevents the next biothreat that would come in the form of a coronavirus. They morph into different types of coronaviruses. We have to plan for the future. We need to find a universal coronavirus vaccine now, and we have to fund it, which is why I am asking for $1 billion for that solution to be found.

Sadly, the reality is that this pandemic is going to get worse before it gets better. But this is our call, and this is our time to come together. We all have a responsibility to act, to show leadership, and to support those who are most vulnerable and will be most impacted by this virus. The elderly in nursing homes, our young children, the uninsured, the undocumented--they need our help right now. These are the lives to be saved, livelihoods to be protected, and futures to ensure.

I will continue to work with my colleagues and fight for legislation that provides Massachusetts residents and businesses and those all across our country with the resources they need. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in this commitment to action.

With that, I yield back.

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