Walden releases COVID-19 testing, surveillance recommendations

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY) released Tuesday a number of recommendations related to testing and surveillance that officials should consider to better position the country for any future spikes in COVID-19 infections.

The testing and surveillance recommendations are the first in a series of working documents. Additional recommendations on other topics related to COVID-19 will be released in the coming months. The members released the following statement.

“As the country continues to reopen while simultaneously preparing for a potential uptick in COVID-19 infections – or ‘second wave’ – in the fall and winter months, Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are working to ensure states have the tools and resources they will need to protect public health," the lawmakers said.

"For several months, Energy and Commerce Committee staff have been researching every aspect of this public health crisis. They’ve interviewed public health experts in order to examine and document what resources our nation has available, the challenges we could face in the months ahead, and provide recommendations to improve our preparedness and response going forward. Our approach is complementary to the efforts including in President Trump’s strategic plan submitted to Congress on May 24, 2020.

“Congress and the administration must work together to address this crisis. Over the coming months, the Energy and Commerce Committee will release a series of recommendations that, if implemented, could save time, resources, and most importantly, lives. As you’ll see from this report, Republicans have a plan to work alongside the president to defeat this Invisible Enemy and get our country back on a path to prosperity,” said Walden and Guthrie.

You can find a one-page summary of key recommendations here.

The full report and Dear Colleague announcing this project are here and here, respectively.