Warren, Markey Call Out Trump Over Lack of Federal Support for MA During Coronavirus Emergency

Friday, March 27, 2020

GoLocalWorcester News Team

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) are calling out President Donald Trump over the “lack of federal support” for Massachusetts during the coronavirus emergency.

As GoLocal has reported, Massachusetts currently has 1,838 cases of coronavirus, resulting in 15 deaths.

"Massachusetts health care providers and public health leaders are doing everything they can to stem this crisis and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. But you and your Administration have failed them at every turn," the senators wrote in a letter to Trump.

Read the Letter Here

The Letter

The letter follows a Medium post published by Warren in which she laid out plans for ways Congress should step in to increase the supplies of COVID-19 diagnostic test kits and the resources needed to administer them nationwide.

In the letter, Warren and Markey highlighted three major concerns of Massachusetts health care providers and public health officials: (1) front line providers do not have protective gear; (2) the state does not have enough testing kits and testing supplies, and (3) the state may soon not have enough hospital capacity.

"Until we meet these urgent needs by substantially increasing our medical capacities, we cannot send people back to work, and our economy will continue to suffer. There are a number of steps the Federal Government can and must take to ramp up production of medical equipment, test kits, personal protective equipment, and other badly-stretched supplies, and we ask that you and your administration promptly harness the full power of the federal government to respond to this crisis,” wrote the senators.

The lawmakers blasted Trump's response to the pandemic, noting his delayed declaration of a national emergency and his administration's ineffective use of the Strategic National Stockpile to provide critical resources to cities, states, and hospitals.

They also criticized the President for not activating the Army Corps of Engineers to build and develop medical infrastructure in a timely fashion, and for his refusal to use his full authority under the Defense Production Act to boost production of much-needed respirators, ventilators, and other medical equipment.