Congressman Kim Reiterates Call for National Strategy to End Crisis After Select Committee Hearing

Statement

Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) in a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis entitled, "The Urgent Need for a National Plan to Contain the Coronavirus Crisis', pressed the nation's top public health leaders on whether the federal government is doing everything it can to contain the crisis.

"The question I asked repeatedly is one I hear from people in New Jersey every day: are we doing everything we can to end this crisis, and the answer I heard was insufficient," said Congressman Kim after the conclusion of the hearing. "I was told by Dr. Redfield and Admiral Giroir that they need additional resources to end this crisis. We are the richest, most powerful country in the world; I don't believe that excuse for a second. We have more resources and more expertise than any other country; what we don't have is a national strategy being executed to direct them. That's what we need, and I came away from this hearing disturbed that after four months we don't have it."

The Congressman began with a question from a constituent of New Jersey's Third Congressional District on whether the federal government is, "doing everything possible to respond to the coronavirus crisis." Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the CDC responded that he believed the federal government is doing everything, "within the capabilities that we do have", citing the need for additional resources. Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services Admiral Brett Giroir echoed, "I think within the capabilities we have, we're doing that."

Congressman Kim went on to press Admiral Giroir if widely reported testing delays could be addressed, asking, "would it be possible for our nation to have results for all COVID tests completed and returned between 48 and 72 hours? Is that a possible benchmark we can achieve?" Admiral Giroir's responded that, "it is not a possible benchmark we can achieve today given the demand and supply."

Congressman Kim is a member of the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, where he serves as one of twelve members of the House tasked with conducting oversight over programs aimed at ending the Coronavirus pandemic and helping address the economic impact it's having on the American people. Congressman Kim is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Small Business.

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