Blumenthal Applauds President Biden's National COVID-19 Strategy & Executive Actions to Tackle the Pandemic

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) applauded President Joe Biden’s unveiling of the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness and executive actions the President took today:

“This bold, comprehensive COVID-19 response plan puts our country on a fast-track toward recovery.”

“I’ve long called for the use of the Defense Production Act to scale up production of PPE, testing equipment, and vaccination supplies in this time of crisis and am pleased that President Biden is making use of this invaluable tool from the very start. Expanding testing and vaccinations—cornerstones of this strategy—are vital to winning our fight against this pandemic. I’ve been a strong supporter of requiring masks to be worn on public transportation, on airplanes, and at airports for the sake of the traveling public and essential workers, and I am glad this administration is putting this requirement in place. Working with and supporting states, local governments, and public health agencies is another critical element in this response, and I applaud the Biden Administration for prioritizing these partnerships. This thoughtful plan creates a COVID-19 Heath Equity Task Force to focus on remedying the disproportionate effects of this pandemic on Americans of color and puts us in a safer place to reopen schools and businesses.”

“This coordinated, whole-of-government response is refreshing and it is a relief that our country’s recovery is now in capable hands. I look forward to working side-by-side with the Biden Administration on delivering help to the American people with another comprehensive stimulus.”

Today, President Biden took several executive actions to put into action his National Strategy to address the COVID-19 pandemic including:

Manufacturing and Delivering Supplies for Vaccination, Testing, and Personal Protective Equipment: The President issued an Executive Order directing agencies to exercise every appropriate authority, including the Defense Production Ac, to speed up the manufacturing, delivery, administration of vaccination, testing, and personal protective equipment shortfalls. In March of last year, Blumenthal co-signed a letter with his Democratic Senate colleagues, urging President Trump to use his existing authority to help address the widespread shortages of medical equipment. Blumenthal also co-sponsored legislation that would have required President Trump to use the federal government’s entire authority under the Defense Production Act, but the bill never advanced through the Republican-controlled Senate.

Reimbursing States: President Biden issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to increase to 100 percent the federal reimbursement to states and Tribes. The reimbursements will account for the cost of National Guard personnel and emergency supplies like PPE and personnel and equipment needed to create vaccination centers.

Expanding Testing and Strengthening the Public Health Workforce: The President issued an Executive Order establishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board to immediately expand testing supply and increase access to testing. The federal government will direct use of the Defense Production Act and other authorities to get more tests and expand manufacturing capacity. The Executive Order also promotes surge capacity for testing across the country, expand the public health workforce, support school screenings for COVID-19, and ensure underserved communities have access to tests.

Accelerating Vaccinations: To meet the target of 100 million shorts in 100 days, President Biden has taken actions to improve the vaccination program. He has directed FEMA to stand up the first federally-supported community vaccination centers, with the goal of standing up 100 of these centers in the next month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will also launch a federal pharmacy program to make vaccines available to communities through their local pharmacies starting next month. The U.S. Public Health Services Commissioned Corps has been tasked with expanding its workforce and preparing for deployment. Central to these efforts is expanded partnership with state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments and the establishing of COVID Response Liaisons for each state, a model based on the response to Hurricane Sandy.

Supporting Students and Safely Reopening Schools: President Biden issued an Executive Order directing the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide guidance on the safe reopening and operating for schools, child care providers, and higher education institutions.

Protecting Workers from COVID-19: President Biden signed an Executive Order calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to release guidance for employers to keep workers safe from COVID-19. The Executive Order also asks for OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration to determine the need for emergency temporary standards that require employers to implement safety measures to keep workers safe from COVID-19 and directs OSHA to enforce health and safety requirements, targeting the worst violations. The order also instructs agencies to explore how to protect workers not covered by OSHA standards, such as those who are self-employed. In April of last year, Blumenthal led a letter with his Democratic Senate colleagues, calling on OSHA to utilize its emergency enforcement mechanism to require employers to develop and implement comprehensive plans to protect all essential workers who continue to perform their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including issuing an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Blumenthal is a lead sponsor of the Essential Transportation Employee Safety Act to address workplace safety for essential transportation workers, prioritizing coronavirus testing for transportation workers and ensuring employers implement crticial health and safety requirements to keep workers safe.

Promoting Safe Travel: President Biden signed an Executive Order to require masks to be worn at airports, on certain modest of public transportation, including trains, airplanes, maritime vessels, and intercity buses. Blumenthal has been a leader on a number of efforts to protect the traveling public and transportation workers, including calling on the Department of Transportation and HHS to issue strong, nationwide rules to ensure health and safety of the traveling public, including requiring face masks for air travelers. Blumenthal also co-sponsored the Ensuring Health Safety in the Skies Act, which would create a joint task force on air travel during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Advancing Health Equity in the COVID-19 Response: President Biden issued an Executive Order to ensure an equitable pandemic response and recovery. The order establishes a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to provide specific recommendations to the President 7on the plans to address the disproportionate and severe impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and other underserved populations. Blumenthal has supported a number of actions to ensure health equity amid the pandemic, including calling on Trump Administration’s HHS and CDC leadership to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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