WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- Oregon Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley issued new news releases Thursday on COVID-19-related issues:

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the new Republican economic proposal in response to the novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic:

“The pandemic is spreading, economic collapse is looming, and Republicans seem to be prioritizing the corporate tax wish list over the economic well-being of people who are losing their livelihoods at this very moment. Their proposal would do nothing to expand unemployment assistance for those who have lost their jobs overnight. While broad economic stimulus is needed, the first priority must be those who have no way to pay their bills for potentially months down the road.”

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Wyden, Merkley Urge Federal Government To Expand Access To Telehealth Services For Rural Communities

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase subsidies to health care providers through the Rural Health Care Program so providers have the resources they need to deliver and expand telehealth services for rural communities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“In this time of crisis, it is imperative we do our part to ensure the safety and security of our health care providers and patients,” the Oregon senators wrote this week with 25 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter. “That is why we are writing to ask you to waive current FCC rules and help increase access to care by increasing subsidies for Rural Health Care Program participants in Funding Year 2019 during this crisis.”

The coronavirus outbreak has caused an immense strain on health care providers in the United States. Telehealth offers an alternative to traditional services, allowing providers to deliver quality care to patients online without risking further spread of the virus. It is also often less expensive and more efficient than traditional methods of care. By making more subsidies available through the Rural Health Care Program, the federal government would ensure that providers receive the necessary resources for additional telehealth capacity or other needs during this public health emergency.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended telehealth to both screen for COVID-19 as well as deliver other services that do not require a patient to visit the hospital. In the first $8.3 billion coronavirus package passed March 5, Wyden worked successfully to include a provision that would boost access to telehealth in Medicare -- giving seniors greater access to their health care providers without leaving home.

The March 18 letter to the FCC also was signed by U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz (D- Hawai‘i), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Angus King (I- Maine), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.).

A copy of the letter is available here.

The full text of the letter follows.

Dear Chairman Pai:

We write to urge the Federal Communications Commission to take immediate steps to ensure that our nation’s health care providers have the resources they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since 1997, the Commission has played an important role in expanding telehealth in the United States through the Rural Health Care Program.  That is why we are writing to ask you to waive current FCC rules and help increase access to care by increasing subsidies for Rural Health Care Program participants in Funding Year 2019 during this crisis.

Telehealth allows providers to deliver health care to patients without putting themselves at risk or requiring vulnerable patients to travel to hospitals and waiting rooms during public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is often cheaper and more efficient than traditional health care delivery methods, allowing health care providers to have a greater impact in their communities.  For these reasons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended health care providers use telehealth to direct patients to the right level of care for their health care needs, to conduct initial screenings of patients who may be infected with COVID-19, and to ensure that patients have access to necessary care without potentially exposing themselves by entering a hospital or physician’s office.  This is especially true for the approximately 45 million Americans age 65 and older who are at particular risk from the virus.  Congress has also supported the use of telehealth during this public health emergency through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, which waives restrictions on the use of telehealth in Medicare during the coronavirus outbreak, including allowing Medicare beneficiaries to receive telehealth services in their homes.

The Rural Health Care Program supports telehealth at urban and rural locations to improve patient care and reduce health care costs.  The program is comprised of two parts, the Telecommunications Program, which subsidizes the difference between urban and rural rates for telecommunications services, and the Health Care Connect Fund, which provides health care providers a 65% discount on their telecommunications and broadband costs.  Although the Rural Health Care Program has encouraged investment in telehealth across the country, it is not enough, as the COVID-19 pandemic has strained our nation’s medical system and has created an increased demand for remote patient care.   Increasing the subsidies for the Rural Health Care Program participants for the 2019 funding year would allow health care providers to increase the use of telehealth services and further protect the well-being of their patients and their employees.

The Commission’s Rural Health Care Program has been a key aspect of increasing telehealth in the United States.  In this time of crisis, it is imperative we do our part to ensure the safety and security of our health care providers and patients.  We thank you for your attention to this matter and we urge you to take action as soon as possible.  Due to the closure of many Senate offices during the coronavirus outbreak, physical signatures are unavailable.  The listed senators have asked to be signatories to this letter.

Sincerely,

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Merkley, Colleagues Raise Alarm in New Letter to Secretary Pompeo Amid Surge of Americans Stranded Abroad by Coronavirus 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and nine colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, raising serious concerns about Americans struggling to return home after being stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The senators’ letter requests that the Secretary immediately update Congress and step up efforts to assist Americans stuck in pandemic-affected countries, following a substantial increase in calls for help from constituents and concerned families who are struggling to contact U.S. embassies and secure flights home to the U.S.

“Providing support and assistance to Americans abroad and ensuring their safety and well-being are among the Department’s most fundamental responsibilities,” wrote the senators, citing particular concern with Americans in Honduras, Morocco, Peru, and Tunisia that have recently reported they are encountering major difficulties in obtaining support from U.S. Embassies and consulates. Merkley’s office is working ­to get Oregonians stranded overseas back home. His team is currently working with Oregonians in Morocco, Tunisia, Peru and Ecuador.

The senators asked Secretary Pompeo to provide a detailed description of all efforts he is currently taking to help facilitate the safe return of American citizens, including clarification on conflicting reports surrounding the State Department offering charter flights and existing travel advisories that don’t seem to account for the spread of coronavirus. They also requested the Department notify Congress immediately if additional resources or authorities are needed.

“We recognize these are extraordinary times for the nation and the world. Yet this crisis calls for creative measures. We look forward to an immediate briefing on all steps the Department is taking, including working with foreign governments, commercial airlines, U.S. military, and other agencies to ensure that every American can be safely returned home. If the Department needs additional tools or resources to facilitate these returns, we request you inform Congress immediately,” the senators concluded.

Senator Merkley was joined in sending the letter by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

The full text of the letter is available below.

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Secretary Pompeo:

We write to express our urgent concern regarding the support being provided to American citizens overseas, including those seeking to return to the United States, as the spread of coronavirus continues to impose significant challenges for governments and communities worldwide. 

We are particularly concerned about an increasing number of reports that Americans and their family members have been unable to leave areas affected by COVID-19 and return home. In particular, Americans in Honduras, Morocco, Peru, and Tunisia, among other countries, have reported to our offices that they are encountering difficulties in obtaining support from U.S. Embassies and Consulates, including to arrange commercial flights home. In some cases, they are reporting that they are unable to establish contact with, or receive even basic information from, U.S. Embassy personnel. While we are aware that Department personnel around the world are under immense strain to meet the many demands related to COVID-19, the safety and health of American citizens, including facilitating returns to the United States, must remain paramount. 

To that end, we seek an immediate clarification regarding your current efforts to facilitate the return of Americans to the United States, whether by commercial airline flights, charter flights, or other means, as well as a detailed description of all efforts you are taking to provide support and guidance to Americans and their families who are either unable or choose not to return home during this crisis.

We also call on you to clarify the Department’s public communication regarding its efforts on behalf of Americans abroad. Recent statements by Department officials and press reports that it will not, as a matter of course, provide chartered flights home, have led to confusion among many Americans overseas. In addition, existing travel advisories do not seem to account for the spread of coronavirus, which is only adding to confusion among many Americans overseas.

Providing support and assistance to Americans abroad and ensuring their safety and wellbeing are among the Department’s most fundamental responsibilities. Americans overseas should have full confidence that the State Department will support them when abroad and facilitate their efforts to return to the United States if they are seeking to evacuate from areas affected by COVID-19. While we understand this is a rapidly evolving crisis, as Secretary, it is critical that you ensure that the Department is moving quickly and taking every possible step to address and respond to the needs of Americans affected by COVID-19 overseas.  

We recognize these are extraordinary times for the nation and the world. Yet this crisis calls for creative measures. We look forward to an immediate briefing on all steps the Department is taking, including working with foreign governments, commercial airlines, U.S. military, and other agencies to ensure that every American can be safely returned home. If the Department needs additional tools or resources to facilitate these returns, we request you inform Congress immediately. Every American should be confident that they have the full support of their government and of the Department, including those who are seeking support to return to the United States. 

Sincerely,

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Wyden Outlines Economic Policy Priorities For Coronavirus Response

Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today outlined economic policies within committee jurisdiction that he’s working on to address the harm caused by the coronavirus pandemic and exacerbated by the Trump administration’s ongoing failure to ensure adequate testing.

“I have two simple priorities to save our economy from another depression: get money to American workers who have lost their jobs overnight and get money to small businesses that are struggling to survive,” Senator Wyden said. “The American people saw in 2009 how executives and powerful interests seize any opportunity to swallow up taxpayer-funded assistance, so I'm going to work to make sure that any potential taxpayer help is focused on workers and comes with strict guardrails, including a prohibition on stock buybacks and executive compensation.”

Ranking Member Wyden’s Economic Policy Priorities

(Further economic policies are also under development and policies to lower health care costs for families and ease the strain on the health care system will soon be released.)

Supercharge unemployment assistance (These proposals build on the Wyden-Peters Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act)

• Increase the amount of unemployment assistance benefits.
• Extend by 13 the number of weeks that unemployment compensation is available.
• Promote work-sharing programs that allow businesses to keep workers on payroll while making up for lost pay.
• Eliminate the “waiting week” between applying for unemployment compensation benefits and receiving them.

Increase Social Security and other federal benefits

• Additional $200 per month to all federal beneficiaries through December 2021.
• Payments would not be counted for means-tested programs, but would be included in taxable income for individuals with over $140,000 and couples with over $280,000 in annual income.

Rescue small businesses and save people’s jobs

• Send emergency rebate checks to small businesses to address immediate cash flow needs and replace the demand many are losing due to quarantines. Checks would be equal to a percentage of gross receipts from a previous tax year.
• Create a small business retention credit to help small businesses keep workers on payroll by subsidizing a portion of wages beyond the subsidies offered in the Families First Act.
• Defer 2020 estimated payments for small business owners. Reduce the safe harbor, which currently requires businesses to pay 100 percent of their previous year’s quarterly taxes, to help account for 2020 revenue losses.

Allow retirement plan flexibility

• Allow workers to tap 401(k) savings early and recontribute those amounts in later years without penalty. 
• Allow larger loans to be made from retirement plans, and extend repayment deadlines for plan loans.
• Waive the 10% additional tax on early distributions from IRAs and retirement plans for distributions taken in 2020.
• Waive required minimum distributions from IRAs and 401(k) plans for 2020 and allow the re-contribution of required minimum distributions taken in 2019.
• Delay minimum pension funding contributions during 2020. 

Prevent abuse of any potential industry assistance

• Prioritize paying and retaining workers.
• Limit executive compensation.
• Ban stock buybacks.