Oregon senators issue numerous virus-related statements
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., released at least seven coronavirus-related news releases on Friday. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., also issued a release, commenting on the passage of a virus preparation funding bill.
Here are the releases, in full:
Wyden Introduces Bill to Expand Free Coronavirus Testing
Legislation Would Expand Free Coronavirus Testing and Related Health Care Services to People on Private Insurance, in Medicare, Medicaid and the Uninsured
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden – along with Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) —led a number of their Democratic Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that would expand free tests to confirm coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.
“Adequate testing for COVID-19 is a critical step to stem the tide of the pandemic,” Wyden said. “Beyond increasing the availability of the test, it needs to be free so Americans don’t have to choose between getting tested or putting food on the table for their loved ones. People need to know that they can walk into their health provider without fear of getting a big medical bill for the test.”
The Free COVID-19 Testing Act introduced this week would waive cost-sharing for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and related health care services for individuals enrolled in private health plans, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, VA as well as for federal civilians, American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Private insurers would be barred from imposing limits like prior authorization for testing. For uninsured individuals, this legislation would cover the cost of lab fees, and states would have the option and new incentives to cover COVID-19 diagnostic testing and related health care services through their Medicaid programs.
In addition to Sens. Wyden, Smith, Peters, Schumer and Murray, this legislation is also supported by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Angus King (I-Maine), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).
Text of the Free COVID-19 Testing Act is here.
Merkley, Warren Push Trump Administration to Protect Americans from Evictions, Foreclosures Amid Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today pressed President Donald Trump to issue an immediate, nationwide moratorium on all foreclosures on and evictions from properties owned or insured by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA), or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service (RHS), amid growing concerns of the economic ramifications of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“A national moratorium is urgently needed to mitigate the hardship confronting many American workers who have already seen or will soon experience an unexpected and significant drop in income due to reduced consumer spending on tourism, travel, hospitality, entertainment, and many other service sectors where jobs cannot be easily performed in isolation or with a teleworking accommodation,” the senators wrote.
“Foreclosure and eviction moratoriums have previously been implemented in response to a variety of natural disasters including hurricanes, floods, and tornados,” the senators continued. “Considering that Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has already proven to be equally or more disruptive, deadly, and widespread, the precedent for weather related natural disasters should inform our decision to restrict foreclosures and evictions in response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health pandemic.”
The senators’ letter requested that a moratorium cover the initiation of new foreclosures and evictions, as well as the suspension of foreclosures and evictions that are already in process. And it requested that steps be taken to ensure that low-income elderly people and persons with disabilities be protected. To that end, the senators requested that the Public Housing Authorities, Section 811 supportive housing managers, and owners of Project-Based Rental Assistance properties, specifically, halt all evictions.
The full text of the letter is available here and follows below.
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Dear President Trump:
We write to request an immediate, nationwide moratorium of all foreclosure and evictions for properties owned or insured by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA), or the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service (RHS) in response to the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health pandemic.
For residents living in federally assisted housing, we urge you to direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to require Public Housing Authorities to halt evictions from public housing, and owners of Project-Based Rental Assistance properties, Section 202 supportive housing for very low-income elderly people, and Section 811 supportive housing for persons with disabilities to take similar actions to protect residents. This moratorium should specially cover the initiation of new foreclosures and evictions as well as the suspension of all foreclosures and evictions already in process.
A national moratorium is urgently needed to mitigate the hardship confronting many American workers who have already seen or will soon experience an unexpected and significant drop in income due to reduced consumer spending on tourism, travel, hospitality, entertainment, and many other service sectors where jobs cannot be easily performed in isolation or with a teleworking accommodation.
Foreclosure and eviction moratoriums have previously been implemented in response to a variety of natural disasters including hurricanes, floods, and tornados. Considering that Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has already proven to be equally or more disruptive, deadly, and widespread, the precedent for weather related natural disasters should inform our decision to restrict foreclosures and evictions in response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health pandemic.
While our nation has achieved gains in homeownership and housing stability over the last decade, all of this progress will be in grave jeopardy if you do not immediately act to implement a nationwide moratorium on foreclosures and evictions.
Sincerely,
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, DeFazio, Bonamici Request Urgently Needed Federal COVID-19 Aid for Oregon
Lawmakers’ letter to VP Pence cites unmet requests from state for personal protective equipment and additional lab tests
Washington, DC – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined with U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and Suzanne Bonamici in a letter to Vice President Pence seeking urgently needed COVID-19 aid for Oregon, including surgical masks, respirators, ventilators and more.
The Oregon lawmakers’ letter sent late Thursday noted thatGovernor Brown has declared a state of emergency in Oregon in response to COVID-19, and that the state has growing and unmet needs from previous state requests. Their letter highlighted previous requests from Oregon for personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies from the strategic national stockpile and additional laboratory testing equipment.
Among the requests made last week on March 3 from the state from the strategic national stockpile, they wrote, were the following: 600,000 surgical or procedural masks, 400,000 N-95 respirators, gowns and gloves, face shields or goggles, Tyvek suits, Biocell Ambulance Protection Systems (Biocell-APS), and 75 to 100 ventilators.
“We urge you to grant this request immediately,” they wrote Pence.
The Oregon lawmakers also wrote in their letter that on March 10, the Oregon State Public Laboratory sent a request to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting additional testing kits. Specifically, the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory requested 96 boxes of collection swabs, 96 boxes of transport media, 27 boxes of extraction kits, and 15 boxes of TaqPath Master Mix.
“We appreciate your cooperation securing nearly $8 billion in emergency supplemental funding designed to get states the critical resources they need to respond to COVID-19,” they wrote. “However, there are still many unmet needs and the situation continues to evolve. In particular, we write to draw your attention to a letter sent by Oregon Governor Kate Brown on March 11, 2020, and urge you to work with Congress and with Governor Brown to respond quickly and comprehensively to the Governor’s requests.”
A copy of the lawmakers' March 12 letter is here.
Merkley, Colleagues Urge Pence to Protect Federal COVID-19 Response from Political Interference
White House has repeatedly allowed politics to overrule public health advice
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with seven colleagues, today pressed Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to ensure that the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak is grounded in scientific fact and experts’ recommendations—not in politics.
The senators’ letter comes amid reports that the Trump Administration has repeatedly ignored the advice of public health experts in favor of promoting the Administration’s political priorities.
“As it becomes clear that the virus is spreading more widely in the United States, it is imperative that decisions on how to handle and treat infected patients be made based on the best scientific information available and guided by public health considerations, not politics,” the senators wrote in their letter.
During the evacuation of Americans from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, an unclear chain of command led to other federal agencies overruling scientific advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the evacuated passengers were diverted from a FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness in Alabama, after President Trump personally requested that the passengers be moved to an alternate location. In addition, White House officials reportedly overruled CDC officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile people refrain from commercial air travel, and Vice President Pence has recently moved to centralize all communications through his office—running the risk of muzzling public health experts’ warnings out of concern for their political or economic consequences.
The senators also expressed concern with the composition of the Task Force, which includes only six out of 20 members with medical backgrounds, and includes several advisors with close ties to the pharmaceutical industry who have a potential conflict of interest in the federal government’s response to the outbreak.
“The global coronavirus emergency may be the most significant health and safety challenge to confront your Administration. Elevating public health expertise over political interests is crucial to crafting an effective response and maintaining public confidence in the administration's response to the crisis,” the senators continued.
To address their concerns, the senators asked the Vice President to make clear how he will protect communications and the decision-making process from political interference, including details on the process for reviewing public communications and the protocol for relocating patients across national borders or state lines, as well as how the vaccine or treatment development process will be protected from conflicts of interest related to pharmaceutical company ties.
The letter is the most recent action by Merkley to address the coronavirus public health crisis. Previously, he used his position as the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to successfully fight for $61 million in funding for the FDA in the $8.3 billion coronavirus spending package that President Trump signed into law last week, and worked to swiftly pass that measure into law. Merkley has also urged the Coronavirus Task Force to halt immigration policies that risk accelerating the spread of illness, pressed the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and top private prison operators for detailed plans to prevent outbreaks among incarcerated communities, and launched a resource webpage for Oregonians to access critical and up-to-date information about how to stay safe.
The letter was also signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-NJ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Brian Schatz (D-HI).
The full text of the letter is available here.
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Internet Service Providers to Suspend Policies Limiting Americans’ Access to Internet Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today joined 17 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the CEOs of eight major internet service providers (ISPs), calling on the companies to take steps to accommodate the unprecedented reliance America will likely have on internet-supported services—including telework, online education, telehealth, and remote support services—in the coming days.
“As organizations around the country formulate their responses to the recent outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, we write to discuss the steps that your company is taking to accommodate the unprecedented reliance we will likely see on telepresence services, including telework, online education, telehealth, and remote support services,” the Senators wrote. “Specifically, we ask that you temporarily suspend broadband caps and associated fees or throttling for all communities affected by COVID-19 and work with public school districts, colleges, and universities to provide free, or at-cost, broadband options for students whose schools close due to COVID-19 who don’t have access at home.”
In the letter, sent to the CEOs of AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, the Senators call on companies to suspend restrictions and fees that could limit telepresence options. With disruptions likely to reveal the full extent of the nation’s broadband gaps, they also call on the companies to provide free or at-cost broadband options for students affected by the virus who otherwise lack broadband access for online learning during the outbreak. According to some estimates, nearly one-third of American households lack meaningful broadband access, and nearly 12 million children live in homes that lack broadband connection. This digital divide is especially acute for rural Americans, American communities of color, and economically disadvantaged communities.
“No one should be penalized or suffer financial duress for following guidance from the CDC, their employer, local public health officials, or school leaders. Unfortunately, many Americans are subject to restrictive data caps for their home broadband service – caps that could be particularly onerous given the more intensive broadband usage of households practicing social distancing measures and the economic uncertainty for which too many people without paid sick leave are already bracing,” the Senators continued. “While it’s likely that your networks will experience significantly greater traffic as a consequence of social distancing measures, we encourage you to forebear from application of broadband caps and associated fees or throttling as workers and families cope with the effects of this health emergency.”
The novel coronavirus has sickened more than 113,000 people around the world, and killed more than 4,000 people to date.
In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was signed by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Gary Peters (D-MI).
A copy of the letter follows below.
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Dear Messrs. McElfresh, Esser, Rutledge, Combes, Storey, Legere, Watson, Vestberg:
As organizations around the country formulate their responses to the recent outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, we write to discuss the steps that your company is taking to accommodate the unprecedented reliance we will likely see on telepresence services, including telework, online education, telehealth, and remote support services. Specifically, we ask that you temporarily suspend broadband caps and associated fees or throttling for all communities affected by COVID-19 and work with public school districts, colleges, and universities to provide free, or at-cost, broadband options for students whose schools close due to COVID-19 who don’t have access at home.
The novel coronavirus has sickened more than 113,000 people around the world, and killed more than 4,000 people to date. While this situation is rapidly evolving, including in the United States and Europe, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is very high and the spread of the disease in other countries shines a light on the need for a whole-of-society response.
On March 3, 2020, the CDC issued an interim guidance recommending that specific community actions be taken to limit exposure to the virus,[1] on top of previously recommended community-based interventions in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak such as school dismissals, event cancellations, social distancing, and creating employee plans to work remotely.[2] While the spread of COVID-19 is likely to affect different individuals, families, and communities differently, it is increasingly likely that a significant number of Americans will need to practice social distancing in some way.
During this period, it’s likely that we’ll see historic numbers of American students and their teachers relying on data-intensive services such as video teleconferencing, remote learning courses, and virtual mental health services. According to UNESCO, a “record number of school children are not attending school or university because of temporary or indefinite closures mandated by governments.”[3] Selected schools have closed in at least 21 states and that number seems likely to rise as the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 increases. According to Education Week, over 1,300,000 students have been impacted thus far.[4] Millions of workers have already begun teleworking in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19; as evidence of the unprecedented demand for telework that we can expect to continue, videoconferencing software company Zoom has already added more active users this year than it did in all of 2019.[5] To effectively contain the disruptive impact that social distancing measures will have on our economy and on American students, it will be essential that these students, teachers, and workers – including patients and providers using telehealth in place of in-person care – have access to affordable broadband.
No one should be penalized or suffer financial duress for following guidance from the CDC, their employer, local public health officials, or school leaders. Unfortunately, many Americans are subject to restrictive data caps for their home broadband service – caps that could be particularly onerous given the more intensive broadband usage of households practicing social distancing measures and the economic uncertainty for which too many people without paid sick leave are already bracing. While it’s likely that your networks will experience significantly greater traffic as a consequence of social distancing measures, we encourage you to forebear from application of broadband caps and associated fees or throttling as workers and families cope with the effects of this health emergency.
These disruptions are also likely to acutely highlight the broadband gap that too many American households still face. According to some estimates, nearly one-third of American households lack meaningful broadband access, either because their homes are unserved or because they cannot afford broadband service.[6] Nearly 12 million children, for instance, live in homes lacking a broadband connection— a gap that highlights wider inequities facing rural Americans, American communities of color, and economically disadvantaged communities.[7] Without meaningful broadband access, students from these communities could be set back months in their learning – further exacerbating the socio-economic disparities these communities face. To that end, we encourage you to make efforts to work with local school districts, community colleges, and universities to provide under- and unserved households with free, or at-cost, broadband options, including through the provision of mobile hotspots.
We look forward to hearing swiftly from you about what steps you will take to help limit the economic and social disruption that COVID-19 is posing at this challenging time. Containing the health impact of COVID-19 will depend on observance of social distancing measures outlined by CDC and public health authorities. But containing the economic and social impact of COVID-19 requires a whole-of-society effort. At this time of great strain on our economic and education systems, we encourage you to do everything you can to cushion the impacts on American workers and students.
Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter. We are anxious to hear your response.
Sincerely,
Merkley, Senators Introduce Legislation to Bar Trump Administration from Using Pandemic as Excuse to Give Handouts to Fossil Fuel Industry
Friday, March 13, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), today announced the introduction of legislation that would prohibit the Department of the Interior from slashing royalty rates for fossil fuel corporations, amid reports that the Trump administration is considering using the coronavirus to push massive ill-advised giveaways to the oil and gas industry.
“In the face of this public health crisis, the best thing we can do for our communities and our economy is support and protect everyday working Americans,” Merkley said. “We should be making sure families in our communities can stay healthy, stay in their homes, keep the lights on, and put food on the table. What we don’t need to be doing is propping up massive fossil fuel corporations that are pushing us towards a climate crisis.”
“Making the climate crisis worse will not make the coronavirus crisis any better,” Markey said. “The Trump administration does not need the power to allow fossil fuel producers to drill and mine for free—we need to protect the planet, protect taxpayers, and move to prevent this kind of misuse of federal authority.”
“It is completely unconscionable that President Trump is using the national crisis of the coronavirus to push for giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, while millions of workers are struggling without paid leave, and our most vulnerable people—the elderly, the sick, the poor—could face health-related and financial catastrophes,” Sanders said. “We shouldn’t be producing these dirty fossil fuels at all, much less providing billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to the industry every year. What we should be doing instead is providing free coronavirus testing and treatment, paid emergency medical leave, and extending unemployment insurance and nutrition assistance—not passing more tax breaks for billionaires and fossil fuel executives.”
The bill is one of various steps taken by Senator Merkley this week to protect American workers and families from the economic ramifications of the coronavirus. Additionally, the Senator urged President Trump to halt evictions and foreclosures, particularly for low-income, elderly, and disabled Americans, and pressed the CEOs of eight large telecommunication service providers to both suspend policies that limit access to internet services and expand internet services in rural and underserved areas. He has also worked to help write and pass an emergency aid package, and this week pushed for an additional emergency package this week to respond to the economic impacts of the virus—including paid sick leave, emergency unemployment benefits, and more.
The full bill text is available here.
Wyden Slams Trump Administration’s Delay in Expanding Telehealth Access for Seniors
After Congress Gave Trump Authority to Expand Use of Telehealth to Protect Seniors, CMS Slow to Issue Guidance
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today slammed the Trump administration for failing to utilize new authority to expand access to telehealth services in Medicare, a provision included in the coronavirus response package passed by Congress last week. In a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, Wyden urged the agency to issue guidance at once so seniors, who are at higher risk of getting very sick, can stay at home while still receiving care from their health providers.
“I urge you to provide guidance immediately regarding whether and how this new waiver authority will be used to expand access to telehealth services in Medicare,” Wyden wrote. “Any further delay to utilize this new telehealth waiver authority is simply unacceptable, given the urgent need to protect seniors during this public health emergency.”
Wyden helped write the provision in the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, which gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) the authority to waive certain restrictions on the use of telehealth in Medicare, such as the current geographic requirements and limitations on where the telehealth service can take place. This will give health providers in Oregon greater ability to serve their patients while giving Oregonians peace of mind.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended that Americans at higher risk, such as seniors and those with chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease, stay at home as much as possible during the outbreak. More information can be found here.
The full letter can be found here.
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Greg Walden Statement on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) released a statement after he voted in support of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act:
“Congress has a responsibility to help our constituents deal with this crisis. Many Americans who get sick will need to stay home and will need access to testing and care. Our local health care providers and first responses are on the front lines of this fight and we must ensure they have what they need. Our states and hospitals are going to feel the brunt of this terrible virus, and we need to respond accordingly. This bill will take some steps to help our nation mitigate this crisis, however, this bill is far from perfect. It left out many critical elements that should have been included, such as boosting the availability and supply of crucial respirators and the ability to improve our nation’s surge capacity of our health care workforce.
“We must also turn our attention to our medical product supply chain—both for this pandemic and future ones. For me, this is not a new concern, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, I’ve raised concerns about our country’s overreliance on foreign pharmaceutical manufacturing. If a country monopolizes the production of a drug and wishes to retaliate against the U.S., they could substantially increase drug prices or reduce supply in an attempt to cause shortages, and limit access to critical medications. This could put American lives at risk in a time of crisis.”
“We all know there will be more work to do in the coming weeks. To my fellow Oregonians and all Americans, I want you to know that our country is strong. Our economy is resilient. Do not panic but be smart and vigilant and we can overcome this challenge.”
In addition to this legislation, Congress recently approved over $8 billion in funding to get more tests out into communities, reimburse local entities for the work they are doing, and to find a vaccine. The CDC has also awarded the state of Oregon nearly $7.8 million in funding to support the state’s response efforts.
To learn more about COVID-19 click here.
