WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the Administration’s request for $2.5 billion to address the growing Coronavirus outbreak:
“The highly contagious and rapidly spreading Coronavirus outbreak is a serious threat to our public health and safety. As Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I continue to press the Administration to take decisive action. Having the right resources in this emergency is critical, and I am concerned that the Administration’s request for additional funds is not sufficient to effectively protect Michiganders and Americans from this deadly virus.
“I urge the Administration to work with Congress to ensure we have appropriate resources to develop and distribute vaccines and stockpile much needed medicine and protective equipment. We must also provide the necessary support to state and local governments, including those in Michigan that are assisting with quarantine and other response efforts.”
Earlier this year, Peters joined Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) in requesting detailed information about the Administration’s strategy for responding to the emerging outbreak and called on the Trump Administration to fully fund pandemic preparedness and response efforts in the 2021 budget. Peters has been briefed at the White House on the Administration’s ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak, and he convened a roundtable discussion with public health and security leaders to examine the federal government’s actions to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Peters also joined his colleagues in calling on the Administration to appoint a global health security expert to the White House’s National Security Council (NSC) to coordinate the Administration’s Coronavirus response efforts. The NSC has been without a health expert for almost two years.
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