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A letter to Senate leadership about prioritizing Coronavirus funding for state and local health departments in the emergency supplemental spending package being negotiated.
Originaltitel
20.3.3. Letter to Leadership on Coronavirus Funding
A letter to Senate leadership about prioritizing Coronavirus funding for state and local health departments in the emergency supplemental spending package being negotiated.
A letter to Senate leadership about prioritizing Coronavirus funding for state and local health departments in the emergency supplemental spending package being negotiated.
CORY A. BOOKER sumesir
Wnited States Senate
March 3, 2020
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader Minority Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
S-230, The Capitol S-221, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Richard Shelby The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Chairman, Vice Chairman
Senate Committee on Appropriations Senate Committee on Appropriations
S-128, The Capitol S-146A, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510.
Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Chairman Shelby, and Vice Chairman Leahy’
As you continue to work with the House of Representatives on preparing an emergency
supplemental spending package to combat the novel coronavirus, I respectfully request that you
include robust funding for state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments. This funding
should be sufficient to both reimburse these entities for the money they have already spent on
activities related to the novel coronavirus and to ensure that they have the funding needed to
continue their preparedness and response efforts in the future
While federal officials work to learn more about the novel coronavirus and coordinate
nationwide preparedness activities, state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments are on
the front lines responding to the virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. For example, loc
health workers across the country are actively tracking and monitoring thousands of people who
may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus for symptoms. This includes daily check-ins,
testing people with symptoms, and tracing the paths of infected patients to warn others who may
have come in contact with the virus.'? For individuals who must be quarantined or isolated,
state, local, territorial, and tribal governments also facilitate their medical transportation, housing
arrangements, and other needs, including food, toiletries, and medications. As symptoms for
COVID-19 may appear up to 14 days after exposure, public health workers must conduct these
extensive monitoring effforts for each person for several weeks. Other activities that these
" Harmon, Amy, and Farah Stockman, “All Hands on Deck’: Health Workers Race to Track Thousands of
‘Americans Amid Coronavirus.” The New York Times, 22 Fe. 2
https:/wwvw.nytimes.comy2020/02/22/us/coronavirus-local-health-response. html
2 Karlamangla, Soumya, “L.A. Heath Agencies Already Strained by Coronavirus. And I's Expected to Get Worse
Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb, 2020, htips!/www Latimes.comvcalifornia/story’2020-02-29/coranavirus-covid|9-
california-public-health-agencies-stainentities are responsible for include: outreach and communication; health systems coordination;
and purchasing supplies, including personal protective equipment.>
Fulfilling these responsibilities is costly and time-intensive. Some states have already spent
more than $1 million on preparedness and response activities and others estimate that they will
need much more. New Jersey officials, for example, estimate that the state will spend more
than $2 million a month on basic preparedness and response efforts moving forward, As you
know, New Jetsey’s Newark Liberty International Airport is one of 11 airports accepting
passengers from China and conducting enhanced screening of passengers for possible COVID-
19 infection. Many health departments have also had to divert staff and other resources toward
the novel coronavirus response, taking vital resources away from other pressing public health
concerns. As the number of COVID-19 cases increases, the funding and resource needs will
significantly increase as well. The most recent confirmed case in New York City is of particular
concem for New Jersey's preparedness and response efforts, given that hundreds of thousands
New Jersey residents commute into New York City on a daily basis. Failing to provide dedicated
funding for the health departments doing this work on the ground could significantly hinder our
nation’s ability to combat the novel coronavirus.
On February 24, 2020, the Trump Administration sent Congress a $2.5 billion supplemental
budget request for the novel coronavirus. This request was woefully inadequate. It lacked
specific funding details for state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments, and it
itresponsibly proposed to divert funds from other critical public health activities, including those
to combat Ebola. I urge you to reject the Administration’ supplemental budget request as you
continue to prepare the emergency supplemental spending package and include new, robust
funding for preparedness and response activities, specifically for state, local, territorial, and tribal
health departments.
‘As you know, our states and localities are on the front lines of preparing and responding to this
global health threat and they deserve the resources necessary to ensure a full and proper response
that does not come at the cost of other important health care functions. Thank you for your
attention to this matter, and I look forward to continuing to work with you on this important
issue
Sincerely,
Cory A. Booker
United States Senator
* Local Health Departments Urge Adoption of Funding to Strengthen Public Health Capacity to Respond to the
COVID-19 Outbreak. The National Association of County and City Health Officials, 1 Mar. 2020,
‘wwsw.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/FINAL,_Coronavirus-Funding-Request-to-Congress_3.1.20.paf.
“ Fischler, Jacob. “States Counting on Reimbursements for Coronavirus Response.” Roll Call, 28 Feb. 2020,
hhtips://www-rollcal.com/2020/02/28/states-counting-on-reimbursements-for-coronavirus-responsey.