Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) joined Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and a group of 30 senators in writing a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, urging him to reject politically motivated conditions on financial relief for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which is a critical lifeline for many Americans, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The senators also expressed their strong opposition to the use of coronavirus as a pretext to pursue privatization of USPS, which is widely unpopular with the American people.

The senators’ letter comes as the Treasury Department considers a $10 billion loan to support the USPS, which continues to see mail traffic, and thus revenue, drop immensely during this COVID-19 pandemic, all the while becoming an even more important lifeline to Americans and businesses. President Trump recently publicly threatened that he will not approve the loan unless the USPS raises package rates by an exorbitant amount, in what appears to be a thinly-veiled attempt at retaliation against the president’s perceived critics.

“Enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the USPS has always provided an invaluable service —delivery to anyone with an address, regardless of living in an urban versus rural area, being rich or poor, or old or young,” wrote the senators. “Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, millions of people are receiving their much-needed relief checks through the mail. An affordable delivery service is needed more than ever in these times—to ensure everyone is able to get their essential medicine prescriptions, purchase items not available in their area, or to keep in touch with loved ones in a time of social distancing. U.S. businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses that are suffering greatly because of lost revenue because of the coronavirus, also rely on receiving goods through the USPS’s affordable pricing structure.

“We are therefore very disturbed to hear President Trump’s public statements threatening approval of the $10 billion loan unless conditions are added such as hiking prices perhaps to even four or five-times as high as current levels. These threats appear to be thinly-veiled attempts to retaliate against what he sees as a vocal critic of his presidency, the Washington Post, and its owner Jeff Bezos. We are concerned about President Trump’s history of invoking another of Bezos’ assets, Amazon, in conjunction with calls to increase prices charged by the USPS, strongly suggesting personal and political motivations on this matter. It would be highly inappropriate and unacceptable for the Department of Treasury to act on such motivations when considering the USPS loan or other USPS relief.”

The senators further outlined their opposition to privatizing USPS. “We similarly oppose, in the strongest possible terms, using the coronavirus crisis as a way to push through a privatization of the USPS. The White House Office of Management and Budget in 2018 advocated for privatization of the Postal Service, an idea which has been around for a long time but is extremely unpopular with the American people.”

“Taking advantage of this pandemic by raising prices on shipping companies or pursuing privatization for political purposes will only mean one thing—increased prices for everyday consumers, as well as the huge numbers of businesses that depend on the mail service. These reported planned conditions President Trump seeks to impose on the $10 billion loan to the USPS stand in stark contrast with the relative lack of strings placed on monies made available to corporations in recent relief efforts, no matter how badly a company might have been managed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the senators continued. “We urge you to reject these political and ideological calls to use this pandemic to further the President’s agenda while burdening everyday Americans and U.S. companies already struggling to make ends meet.”

In addition to Udall the letter was joined by U.S. Senators Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Il.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Il.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif).

The full text of the letter can be found below and here.

Dear Sec. Mnuchin:

We write to you to express our deep concern that the solvency of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which provides essential delivery services for 160 million American homes and businesses, is being jeopardized for political reasons. We urge you to reject imposing counterproductive or politically motivated conditions on the pledged $10 billion emergency loan to the USPS and any other relief that the USPS needs.

Enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the USPS has always provided an invaluable service —delivery to anyone with an address, regardless of living in an urban versus rural area, being rich or poor, or old or young. Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, millions of people are receiving their much-needed relief checks through the mail. An affordable delivery service is needed more than ever in these times—to ensure everyone is able to get their essential medicine prescriptions, purchase items not available in their area, or to keep in touch with loved ones in a time of social distancing. U.S. businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses that are suffering greatly because of lost revenue because of the coronavirus, also rely on receiving goods through the USPS’s affordable pricing structure.

We are therefore very disturbed to hear President Trump’s public statements threatening approval of the $10 billion loan unless conditions are added such as hiking prices perhaps to even four or five-times as high as current levels. These threats appear to be thinly-veiled attempts to retaliate against what he sees as a vocal critic of his presidency, the Washington Post, and its owner Jeff Bezos. We are concerned about President Trump’s history of invoking another of Bezos’ assets, Amazon, in conjunction with calls to increase prices charged by the USPS, strongly suggesting personal and political motivations on this matter. It would be highly inappropriate and unacceptable for the Department of Treasury to act on such motivations when considering the USPS loan or other USPS relief.

We similarly oppose, in the strongest possible terms, using the coronavirus crisis as a way to push through a privatization of the USPS. The White House Office of Management and Budget in 2018 advocated for privatization of the Postal Service, an idea which has been around for a long time but is extremely unpopular with the American people. In addition to privatizing parts of the USPS, the Treasury Department’s Presidential Task Force on the Postal Service called for hiking prices charged by the USPS as well as cuts in services and decreased benefits for postal workers. Privatization efforts like these would lead to putting profits over people—meaning rural areas would suffer from service cuts and Americans would be left to the whims of corporations constantly seeking to maximize their bottom lines—and should be off limits during this crisis.

Taking advantage of this pandemic by raising prices on shipping companies or pursuing privatization for political purposes will only mean one thing—increased prices for everyday consumers, as well as the huge numbers of businesses that depend on the mail service. These reported planned conditions President Trump seeks to impose on the $10 billion loan to the USPS stand in stark contrast with the relative lack of strings placed on monies made available to corporations in recent relief efforts, no matter how badly a company might have been managed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We urge you to reject these political and ideological calls to use this pandemic to further the President’s agenda while burdening everyday Americans and U.S. companies already struggling to make ends meet.

In addition to being highly inappropriate, any attempt to retaliate against the USPS in this way would also be deeply unpopular with the American people. Recent opinion polling released by the Pew Research Center shows how important the USPS is to all Americans—across political party affiliation. Ninety one percent of survey respondents stated that they viewed the USPS in a positive light, reflecting almost identical majorities from both Republican and Democratic parties. And, our democracy may very well depend on the ability of immunocompromised and otherwise vulnerable people to vote-by-mail in a time where going to polls is risking their very lives.

Finally, these threats are an insult to the hardworking men and women of the USPS, who are on the front lines keeping our society and economy functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. To provide these critical services to our nation, hundreds of thousands of postal workers are heroically facing the coronavirus every day so that their fellow Americans can more safely remain in their homes and not spread the virus. This is a heavy burden in addition to making sure that “snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” keeps them from guaranteeing everyone with an address receives their mail. Tragically, 44 postal carriers have already lost their lives from COVID-19.

We urge you to do what is right not only for the postal workers bravely delivering our essential goods, but also for the American people and businesses who rely on affordable mail services. We strongly recommend that you reject any politically-motivated conditions that would force price increases, service or benefit cuts, or otherwise hinder the excellent work of the USPS when considering the pledged $10 billion emergency loan or any other relief for the USPS.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and seven of their Senate colleagues in urging the President to expand his use of Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA) in order to dramatically increase domestic production capacity for personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing supplies.

“An analysis by Harvard University researchers found that the United States must, at minimum and under the best-case scenario, double the number of tests being conducted each week,” wrote the Senators. “In many cases, even when state and local governments are able to get some supplies into the hands of their frontline medical personnel, they go unused because of shortages in other key supplies.”

They continued, “Congress appropriated $57.6 billion to address critical needs such as these, including $16 billion to purchase medical supplies for distribution through the Strategic National Stockpile and at least $11 billion to support efforts to expand testing by states, localities, and tribes. But it is clear that these widespread shortages will not be fully resolved until the nation’s production capacity can be dramatically scaled up, and despite unprecedented global demand, private sector companies have been reticent to expand production capacity without support and direction from the federal government. For that reason, is imperative that the federal government fully use its authority to support and expand production of PPE and testing supplies.”

Section 301 and 302 of Title III authorize the President to reduce current or projected shortfalls of industrial resources, critical technology items, or essential materials needed for national defense purposes. Meanwhile, Section 303 gives the President the authority to create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore domestic industrial base capacity, which includes purchasing or making purchase commitments of industrial resources or critical technology items, making subsidy payments for domestically produced materials, and installing and purchasing equipment for government and privately-owned industrial facilities to expand their production capacity.

In their letter, the Senators note that Title III has only been used twice by the government to respond to this health crisis and urge the President to immediately expand production and deliveries of PPE and testing supplies by using Title III of the Defense Production Act and any other appropriate authority.

Sen. Warner has long called for an increase in testing and PPE production in the Commonwealth. In March, he joined his colleagues in introducing the Free COVID-19 Testing Act, legislation that would expand free tests to confirm coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. He has also introduced legislation to require the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal response to the pandemic through an equitable and transparent process. Additionally, he has pressed the Administration to outline how it plans to use Defense Production Act powers to increase production of testing supplies and equipment needed for the pandemic response.

Joining Sens. Warner and Van Hollen on the letter are Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Gary Peters (D-MI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Jack Reed (D-RI).

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear President Trump:

We write in response to the release of your administration’s blueprint for State testing plans and rapid response programs to urge you to broaden your use of Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA) and other appropriate authorities to expand domestic production capacity for personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing supplies.

On April 27, you announced that your administration had “successfully scaled a robust testing regime that is able to meet the massive needs of a nationwide pandemic.” On the same day, an analysis by Harvard University researchers found that the United States must, at minimum and under the best-case scenario, double the number of tests being conducted each week. Nationwide shortages continue to prevent the United States from conducting enough tests to safely reopen.

In many cases, even when state and local governments are able to get some supplies into the hands of their frontline medical personnel, they go unused because of shortages in other key supplies. In Maryland, for example, the state has secured a large number of testing kits, but the kits cannot be used without the necessary swabs and viral transport media—both of which have been in short supply.

Similarly, the nation continues to face critical shortages of PPE. This has led to dangerous rationing and efforts by medical providers to disinfect, reuse, or fashion their own equipment. Reports from across the country paint a bleak picture: staff at the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan made their own face shields using plastic sheets, elastic bands, and tongue depressors. Providence Health in Washington did the same using supplies from Home Depot. Elsewhere, medical staff are soliciting donations of homemade cloth masks and constructing makeshift decontamination systems to reuse their PPE.

Before any state in the country can reopen responsibly, PPE and testing needs must be met. Congress appropriated $57.6 billion to address critical needs such as these, including $16 billion to purchase medical supplies for distribution through the Strategic National Stockpile and at least $11 billion to support efforts to expand testing by states, localities, and tribes. But it is clear that these widespread shortages will not be fully resolved until the nation’s production capacity can be dramatically scaled up, and despite unprecedented global demand, private sector companies have been reticent to expand production capacity without support and direction from the federal government. For that reason, is imperative that the federal government fully use its authority to support and expand production of PPE and testing supplies.

Section 301 and 302 of Title III authorize you to issue loan guarantees and direct loans to reduce current or projected shortfalls of industrial resources, critical technology items, or essential materials needed for national defense purposes. Section 303 grants you a range of authorities to create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore domestic industrial base capacity. These include purchasing or making purchase commitments of industrial resources or critical technology items, making subsidy payments for domestically produced materials, and installing and purchasing equipment for government and privately owned industrial facilities to expand their production capacity. In short, these authorities allow you to provide a company the financing and equipment they need to expand their production capacity and guarantee a buyer for their products once that capacity comes online.

As part of the CARES Act, Congress appropriated $1 billion for the primary purpose of expanding domestic production of medical supplies to respond to COVID-19. We appreciated your executive order on March 27, 2020 to delegate authority to the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security, allowing each to make use of DPA Title III to expand production capacity. However, to date, Title III has been used just twice as part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 11, 2020, the Department of Defense announced that it would use Title III to secure a $133 million investment resulting in the production of 39 million additional N95 masks. On April 29, DOD announced a Title III award to expand the production of swabs by Puritan Medical Supplies in Maine.

These measures are totally inadequate to meeting the challenge we face. This crisis requires faster, more coordinated action to limit loss of life in the near term and over the next year. We urge you to act immediately to expand production and deliveries of PPE and testing supplies using Title III of the Defense Production Act and any other appropriate authority.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) released the text of draft bicameral legislation to establish an emergency portable benefits fund for states. The proposal would create a $500 million fund at the U.S. Department of Labor to be administered to states to pay for the costs moving forward of modernizing state Unemployment Insurance (UI) technology systems to facilitate expanded benefits eligibility and support long term innovation, and to create portable benefits programs.

Since 2017, Warner and DelBene have been the lead Senate and House sponsors of the Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act to establish a grant fund for states, localities and nonprofit organizations to experiment with portable benefits models for the growing independent workforce. Today’s new proposal builds on that effort in light of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, which has left many self-employed entrepreneurs and gig workers with no or reduced incomes and little access to long-term traditional benefits programs. Warner and DelBene are seeking to include the proposed legislation in the next COVID-19 relief package.

“For years, I’ve been sounding alarm bells about how millions of self-employed, gig and contract workers are falling through the holes in our social safety net. Now, the coronavirus crisis has put that grim reality into stark relief,” said Warner. “It’s imperative that Congress act to provide states with the flexibility to experiment with innovative models for assisting these workers.”

“COVID-19 is devastating our local economies and leading to a historic rise in unemployment across the country. Congress needs to provide states the flexibility to design new benefit programs for the long-term to protect independent workers and give them control of their benefits,” said DelBene. “No one should fall through the cracks during or after this pandemic.”

The CARES Act allowed these workers, for the first time, access to state-administered unemployment insurance (UI) programs. However, reports indicate that millions of these workers are struggling to access the benefits Congress granted them in part due to clunky and outdated state IT systems that administer the benefits and a lack of federal guidance. Moving forward, the Warner-DelBene proposal would provide supplemental funds for states to update their unemployment systems for the 21^st century, for the purposes of long-term innovation and expanded eligibility.

The emergency benefits proposal would also provide funding to states – in partnership with cities, localities and non-profits – to experiment with innovative proposals for portable benefits, such as paid leave, worker’s comp, the longer-term expansion of UI eligibility, and other programs specific to local economies.

“Senator Warner & Representative DelBene’s proposal accomplishes two essential goals: modernizing state unemployment system technology, and jump-starting portable benefits for the millions of hard working Americans who have been excluded from employment-based benefits. It simultaneously responds to the crisis at hand and lays the groundwork for a more inclusive system of benefits in the future,” said David Rolf, founder and president emeritus, SEIU 775.

“The ‘Emergency Portable Benefits Program’ is an urgent step needed to ensure every working person has access to a safety net that works for all of us, no matter how you work, how many hours you work or who you work for. Close to 2.5 million domestic workers do the essential work of caring for our homes and families every day without paid leave when they are sick, health insurance or retirement security. Before the pandemic, domestic workers were one emergency away from a crisis. Now facing a global public health and economic crisis, they deserve a benefits system that works for them, because no one should have to choose between working while sick or losing income they need to take care of their family, no matter what kind of work they do, and especially those who take care of us,” said Palak Shah, Social Innovations Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance.

“The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the inadequacy of America’s safety net, which leaves millions of non-traditional and low-wage workers without access to key workplace benefits and protections. Although the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program expanded unemployment benefits to self-employed and freelance workers, it is temporary and has been difficult to administer. The resources provided by this legislation will provide critical aid to help states implement expanded unemployment insurance programs, and encourage the development and expansion of portable benefit systems that can provide financial security to workers across different types of work arrangements during the current crisis and beyond,” said Alastair Fitzpayne, Executive Director, Aspen Institute’s Future of Work Initiative.

“Our employment system needs to catch up with the rapidly changing technological landscape and shifting nature of work. Portable benefits made sense before the crisis, and today the need is urgent,” said Marcela Escobari, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “This legislation provides the impetus for states to upgrade systems, innovate, and support workers through streamlined delivery of benefits. Portable benefits are a key component of a modernized employment system. By making it easier for workers to access benefits like healthcare, sick leave, and training, portable benefits can help states create a more resilient and tech-savvy workforce as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.”

Draft text of the proposed bill is available here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) led a group of 15 colleagues in sending a letter to Vice President Mike Pence urging the Administration to ensure persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and Persons with Disabilities can access the necessary information to receive the COVID-19 benefits that Congress has passed with fully accessible, and multilingual information and benefits available for them. Today, Sen. Menedez joined advocates and community members to discuss the COVID-19 public health crisis and its impact to New Jerseyans with disabilities in a conference call.

“Recent news stories highlight the life-threatening consequences to persons of color and persons with disabilities because of lacking access to culturally competent, language specific and/ or disability-sensitive materials to protect themselves from the dangers of COVID-19. We believe the Taskforce has a critical responsibility to fix this,” the senators wrote to Vice President Pence. “Understanding the barriers to information created by language and access impediments is critical to the success of the Taskforce and our nation’s ability to most effectively fight COVID-19.”

More than 60 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English of which more than 40% have limited English proficiency. Additionally, approximately 38 million individuals in the U.S. are deaf or hard of hearing, 7.5 million have vision loss, and 15 million live with an intellectual disability and require multiple formats of the same information.

The senators urged the White House Coronavirus Taskforce to encourage every federal agency to create culturally sensitive informational materials that are accessible in various formats and multiple languages, including for those with low or no literacy.

“Making federal programs accessible for persons with LEP and for persons with disabilities is a core civil rights requirement under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” the senators continued. “During a public health emergency current law requires the ‘distribution of supplies, the processing of applications, and other relief and assistance activities [to] be accomplished in an equitable and impartial manner, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status’ by the federal government.”

“To ensure accuracy, information must be short, culturally appropriate, flexible to serve different platforms (oral, captions, visual, picture infographics, transcriptions with video descriptions, and plain language for those with low literacy), and most importantly created with qualified deaf and hearing interpreters, stakeholders from disability led organizations, and skilled media analysts that can create inclusive content,”the senators concluded before asking a series of questions to understand what actions the Taskforce is taking to ensure fully accessible, and multilingual resources about available COVID-19 benefits and relief.

Joining Sen. Menendez in sending this letter were Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Penn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Vice President Pence,

We write to inquire what the taskforce is doing to ensure persons with limited English proficiency (LEP) and persons with disabilities can access accurate information and updates on COVID-19 including information on benefits and programs included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Family First Response Act. In order to ensure their health and livelihoods are not further compromised due to language barriers, we strongly urge the White House Coronavirus Taskforce to encourage every federal agency to create culturally sensitive informational materials that are accessible in various formats and multiple languages, including for those with low or no literacy.

Recent news stories highlight the life-threatening consequences to people of color and people with disabilities of lacking access to culturally competent, language specific and/ or disability-sensitive materials to protect themselves from the dangers of COVID-19. We believe the Taskforce has a critical responsibility to fix this. The role of the Taskforce is to “monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus, while ensuring that the American people have the most accurate and up-to-date health and travel information” . Understanding the barriers to information created by language and access impediments is critical to the success of the Taskforce and our nation’s ability to most effectively fight COVID-19.

More than 60 million people in the United States speak a language other than English of which more than 40% have limited English proficiency. Additionally, approximately 38 million individuals living in the United States are deaf or hard of hearing, 7.5 million have vision loss, and 15 million live with an intellectual disability and require multiple formats of the same information. The need for expanded language assistance increases as Congress continues to pass legislation in response to COVID-19. The Taskforce must address language access issues to ensure these marginalized communities access the benefits to which they are entitled. Our national response cannot be successful if whole sections of our society are unable to access timely and accurate information about the virus, health information, and services that may benefit them during the pandemic.

Making federal programs accessible for persons with LEP and for persons with disabilities is a core civil rights requirement under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During a public health emergency current law requires the “distribution of supplies, the processing of applications, and other relief and assistance activities [to] be accomplished in an equitable and impartial manner, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status” by the federal government. While many states and territories have disseminated multilingual and sign language interpreted information on COVID-19, there is a lack of federal guidance with the same accessibility. Many of the increased benefits available to Americans during the COVID-19 crisis require individuals to read and fill out forms, and engage in online and verbal phone communications. Interpretation and translation is not enough; the incorporation of multilingual staff, accessibility media analysts, language inclusion evaluations, and additional funding for language services is necessary. To meet these needs, the Taskforce must also work with and include representatives from LEP communities, interpreting agencies, and organizations led by persons with disabilities in the development of any policies and procedures affecting these communities. It is also important to remember, communication access for persons with disabilities does not have a singular solution. To ensure accuracy, information must be short, culturally appropriate, flexible to serve different platforms (oral, captions, visual, picture infographics, transcriptions with video descriptions, and plain language for those with low literacy), and most importantly created with qualified deaf and hearing interpreters, stakeholders from disability led organizations, and skilled media analysts that can create inclusive content.

In order to understand what actions the Taskforce is taking, or planning to take to ensure fully accessible, and multilingual resources about available COVID-19 benefits and relief, please respond the following questions below no later than May 1, 2020:

1. What steps has the Taskforce taken to ensure that persons with LEP and persons with disabilities receive the benefits and assistances to which they are entitled under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Family First Response Act?

2. Have you consulted or do you plan to consult with advocates from LEP communities, interpreting agencies and organizations led by persons with disabilities on how to best create and disseminate resources on COVID-19 benefits?

3. Given the Taskforce’s limited language resources during press briefings and the lack of centralized online educational materials, how will you ensure that the agencies and departments have sufficient resources to meet language access solutions related to COVID-19 aid?

4. Has the Taskforce created agency guidance to collect demographic information of people receiving benefits in order to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the language solutions implemented, and ensure aid is reaching all communities? If so, what types of demographic information and which agencies have been involved in the data collection?

We look forward to your response detailing how the Taskforce plans to make this crucial information available to these communities and your plan on immediate action required to fulfill this request.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced $7,630,020 in federal funding for the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC). The funding was authorized by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine.

“During this health crisis, our public transit has adapted to maintain service so that our essential workers can continue to get to and from work as safely as possible,” said the Senators. “We’re pleased that these critical dollars will help ensure that the region’s public transportation system can continue to meet the needs of the community it serves.”

Through the CARES Act, Congress provided $25 billion for transit agencies to help prevent, prepare, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. GLTC received their funding under the FTA’s Urbanized Area Formula Program. The funds will provide operating assistance to maintain existing services in order to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 public health emergency. GLTC can also use the funds to cover expenditures such as salaries, wages, benefits, cleaning, sanitizing, fuel, maintenance and other related expenses.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, spoke on the floor prior to a cloture vote on the nomination of William Evanina to serve as Director of the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center. In his remarks, Warner urged his colleagues to confirm Evanina, who has been serving in that position in an acting capacity for more than two years.

A copy of Warner’s remarks as prepared for delivery appears below:

Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of William Evanina to be the first Senate confirmed Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, or NCSC.

Bill is an American patriot and American success story. Raised in Peckville, Pennsylvania, with very modest means, he was the first in his family to go to college. Prior to joining the FBI in 1996, his first job was with the General Services Administration in Philadelphia.

Over his 24-year long career with the FBI, Bill investigated organized crime and violent crimes. He investigated the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the anthrax attacks in Washington, and the Daniel Pearl kidnapping. Bill also led the counter-espionage group at the Central Intelligence Agency.

He earned a reputation as the consummate counterintelligence and security professional, fiercely dedicated to the mission, with unquestionable honor.

Then, in June 2014, then-Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper appointed Bill to serve as the director of NCSC. Many technical and complex activities fall under NCSC, including personnel security policy; information technology protection standards; CI cyber operations; supply chain risk management; threat awareness for U.S. critical infrastructure; and damage assessments from spies and unauthorized disclosures. And I have partnered with Bill on many topics, to include educating industry about the threats posed by China and reforming an antiquated personnel vetting system.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 recognized the vital work that NCSC does and made the position subject to Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

In February 2018, President Trump nominated Bill to be the first Senate-confirmed Director. The Senate Intelligence Committee considered the nomination in May 2018 and unanimously recommended his confirmation to the full Senate. We considered his nomination again in February 2019 in the new Congress. Again, our committee voted unanimously in favor of his nomination.

Unfortunately, over the last two years, despite universal recognition of Bill’s qualifications for the position, his nomination became entangled in unrelated matters. Despite the delay, Bill stayed the course, committed to the mission above all else.

All of those unrelated matters may not be addressed to every Senator’s full satisfaction, but at least today we are here to give this nominee what he and the Country deserve: a vote.

Now I share my colleagues’ concerns about protections for whistleblowers. I have seen this White House’s disregard for whistleblower protections. I believe I have Bill Evanina’s commitment that procedures for processing whistleblower complaints will be dealt with appropriately.

I also feel strongly that at this moment when there is not a single Senate-confirmed appointee in the Office of Director of National Intelligence, now more than ever we need a Senate-confirmed career intelligence professional in place—standing guard over an office that too often seems to be directed by political appointees who disregard protections for whistleblowers and our intelligence community.

I look forward to Mr. Evanina’s confirmation today so that he can continue addressing the many important counterintelligence and security challenges facing our nation.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Jack Reed (D-RI), and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in pushing to make sure urgently needed federal assistance is delivered to America’s fishermen and seafood processors, who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

In their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators request that upcoming coronavirus relief legislation include funding and provisions to support this critical industry.

“Our seafood processors and fishermen have been dealt a significant economic blow as a result of coronavirus and are in desperate need of federal assistance,” the senators wrote. “It has been reported that many of the nation’s fisheries have suffered sales declines as high as 95 percent. In addition, while many other agricultural sectors have seen a significant increase in grocery sales, seafood has been left out of that economic upside, as stores have cut back on offerings.”

“The seafood industry is currently facing an unprecedented collapse in demand because of the novel coronavirus. We urge you to facilitate the government purchase of seafood products that would both ensure stability in this key sector and provide healthy, domestically produced food for Americans,” the senators continued.

Specifically, the senators recommend the allocation of $2 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase and redistribute seafood products to food banks—just as the agency is currently doing for other agricultural products. In addition, the letter requests that $1 billion be allocated to the Department of Commerce and NOAA to support direct payments to fisheries, seafood producers, and processors.

Not only do fisheries help Americans put food on the table for their families, they have long been the lifeblood of local and regional economies across the country. In 2016, the industry supported over one million good-paying jobs and generated more than $144 billion in sales, adding an estimated $61 billion to the nation’s GDP. In addition to the jobs, families, and communities it supports along every part of our country’s coastlines, the seafood industry fuels jobs throughout the country in processing, distribution, and food service industries.

Warner, Merkley, Murkowski, and Reed were joined in sending the bipartisan letter by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

The full text of the letter is available here and is available below.

We write to urge the inclusion of support for the American seafood industry in the next coronavirus relief measure. Our seafood processors and fishermen have been dealt a significant economic blow as a result of coronavirus and are in desperate need of federal assistance.

The seafood industry is critical to local and regional economies across the country. In 2016, the industry supported over one million good-paying jobs and generated more than $144 billion in sales, adding an estimated $61 billion to the nation’s GDP. In addition to the jobs, families, and communities it supports along every part of our country’s coastlines, the seafood industry fuels jobs throughout the country in processing and distribution.

Due to efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which has led to a near total shutdown of restaurants and other outlets serving fresh seafood, the supply chain of fishermen and seafood processors has been decimated. Notably, more than 68% of the $102.2 billion that consumers paid for U.S. fishery products in 2017 was spent at food service establishments. It has been reported that many of the nation’s fisheries have suffered sales declines as high as 95 percent. In addition, while many other agricultural sectors have seen a significant increase in grocery sales, seafood has been left out of that economic upside, as stores have cut back on offerings.

We strongly urge you to include in the next coronavirus relief package at least $2 billion for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase domestically harvested and processed seafood products and distribute them to local, state, and national non-profits providing food to hungry Americans. Given that few seafood producers have historically participated in USDA commodity purchasing programs, we request that $1 billion be set aside to finance the purchase by USDA of seafood products that have not typically been purchased and that have experienced economic impacts as a result of coronavirus.

We also ask that you include an additional $1 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the terms of section 12005 of the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) in order to provide direct relief to Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants impacted by coronavirus. We request that Congress appropriate and permit the Secretary to make funding available as soon as practicable to all fishery participants, including commercial and recreational fishing and seafood businesses that have been impacted by declines in tourism and the closure of restaurants and other food service industries.

The seafood industry is currently facing an unprecedented collapse in demand because of the novel coronavirus. We urge you to facilitate the government purchase of seafood products that would both ensure stability in this key sector and provide healthy, domestically produced food for Americans.

Thank you for your attention to this critical request, and for your continued support of America’s seafood industry.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the below statement on the Trump Administration’s final regulation detailing the responsibilities of elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities for addressing sexual harassment and assault:

“With regard to the serious issues of sexual assault and harassment, the needs of survivors must come first. The Administration’s failure with this final rule affects students of all ages and is a serious deviation from its responsibility. The rule recklessly violates the intent behind Title IX to ensure educational equity for all students. It inappropriately limits the situations in which schools must act to address sexual misconduct and allows a number of practices that will make campus adjudication processes less supportive of survivors. With so many students away from their physical learning settings due to COVID-19, we may not immediately see the full impact of this misguided regulation. But make no mistake: it undoubtedly makes students less safe.”

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, colleges and universities have a legal obligation to provide an environment free from discrimination because of sex. Over the past two decades, both Democratic and Republican administrations have interpreted the law and provided guidance to encourage survivors to come forward and report – until now. Sexual assault on college and university campuses and in K-12 schools is notoriously underreported and, too often, adjudication processes and survivor support services vary from campus to campus, making fairness and transparency all the more elusive.

Senator Warner is an original cosponsor of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which would establish stronger incentives for all universities, including those in Virginia, to empower student survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.

In January 2019, Sen. Warner laid out his concerns with a previous – though largely similar – version of the Administration’s proposal and called on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to go back to the drawing board with her approach. In September 2017, Sen. Warner called the Trump Administration’s decision to review previous guidelines on campus sexual assault a “red flag” and called for Secretary DeVos to prioritize the interests of sexual assault survivors in the rulemaking process.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and his Senate colleagues in calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ramp up COVID-19 testing at VA facilities nationwide as part of a national testing plan.

“We write to ask the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which has the nation’s largest health care system, to play a proactive role in supporting an expansive nationwide testing program for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). VA should establish a national plan across VA to facilitate testing for the veteran community and VA health care providers, as one element of the national strategic testing plan required by the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. As part of a larger national strategy, a VA effort focused on expansive testing is critical to achieving widespread testing across the nation,” the Senators wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

A proactive national strategy by the VA would, for example, expand, centralize, and coordinate the ordering and distribution of critical supplies and testing kits to all VA facilities nationwide. This expansion would not only increase VA capacity to provide relief for the veteran community; it would also free up resources at non-VA hospitals to focus on caring for civilians.

“In support of a nationwide testing strategy, VA can be a great asset in achieving the kind of testing scale-up necessary to safely open the economy successfully and stave off or address a second wave. As the largest integrated health care system in the country, overseeing more than 1,200 health care facilities across the United States, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is well-positioned to help our nation amplify our testing strategy,” they continued.

In the letter, the Senators outline recommendations for producing a testing strategy, including making testing kits available at all VA facilities, including non-hospitals; testing both symptomatic and asymptomatic veterans; providing more detailed testing data on VA’s website; and developing a plan to provide a sufficient workforce to carry out the strategy, as well as equipping them with proper supplies and equipment, including personal protective equipment.

In addition to Sens. Warner and Bennet, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Chris Coons (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Thom Carper (D-DE), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

In March, Sen. Warner joined his colleagues in introducing the Free COVID-19 Testing Act, legislation that would expand free tests to confirm coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. He has also pressed the Administration to outline how they plan to use Defense Production Act powers to increase production of testing supplies and equipment needed for the pandemic response.

A copy of today’s letter can be found here and below.

Dear Secretary Wilkie:

We write to ask the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which has the nation’s largest health care system, to play a proactive role in supporting an expansive nationwide testing program for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). VA should establish a national plan across VA to facilitate testing for the veteran community and VA health care providers, as one element of the national strategic testing plan required by the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. As part of a larger national strategy, a VA effort focused on expansive testing is critical to achieving widespread testing across the nation.

State, local, tribal, and national leaders, as well as public health experts continue to reiterate that substantially more testing is needed for a safe, successful reopening of the economy. According to a report that the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University recently published, in order for the economy to begin to reopen safely we must dramatically increase testing and accompanying surveillance and tracing efforts. The authors of this report - which include 45 economists, social scientists, lawyers, and ethicists - suggest that we need to conduct up to 20 million tests every day across the nation by late July and fund at least 100,000 additional contact tracing workers to be prepared for stay-at-home orders to be lifted. Infectious disease epidemiologists have argued that the test-positivity rate is a critical factor in determining whether the testing level is sufficient, with the positivity rate tracking more closely to disease prevalence due to broader testing. According to the COVID Tracking Project, the United States currently has a test-positivity rate of close to 20%. Globally, epidemiologists suggest the rate should be lower than 10%. For example, New Zealand, South Korea, and Germany have test-positivity rates of roughly 2%, 3%, and 6%, respectively. The United States should aim for a comparable rate. We have stated repeatedly that expansive nationwide testing is needed immediately.

In support of a nationwide testing strategy, VA can be a great asset in achieving the kind of testing scale-up necessary to safely open the economy successfully and stave off or address a second wave. As the largest integrated health care system in the country, overseeing more than 1,200 health care facilities across the United States, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is well-positioned to help our nation amplify our testing strategy. The VHA should ensure all veterans who need a test can obtain one, both those who are symptomatic and those who are asymptomatic but believe they have been exposed to COVID-19. A proactive national VA plan would include a description of the Agency’s need for a centralized and prioritized process, dependent on expanded use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) by the federal government, for ordering supplies and testing kits and distribution of the testing kits beyond regional hospitals. This expansion would not only provide relief for the veteran community, but would also allow for non-VA hospitals to focus on caring for civilians and providing relief.

According to the Department’s website, as of Tuesday, May 5, VA has seen 9,691 cumulative cases of COVID-19 and experienced 582 inpatient deaths and 23 staff deaths. VA has conducted approximately 107,000 tests. This consolidated national statistic does not allow for a localized understanding of the test-positivity rate. Given that VA is only offering tests for veterans at larger facilities, the rate likely disproportionately represents more densely populated areas.

In order to contribute to support testing at the federal level, and consequently the state and local level, we recommend VA produce a testing strategy that includes the following:

· All VA facilities, not only large hospitals, should have access to testing kits. VA Community-based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) do not have testing capabilities currently. In many rural areas, CBOCs serve as primary care facilities for many veterans, and providing testing at these clinics will also alleviate strain on often smaller, rural hospitals. VA should also include Vet Centers and State Veterans Homes in this initiative, as appropriate.

· Allow symptomatic and asymptomatic veterans who need testing to gain access to molecular, antigen, and/or serological tests. VA’s Central Office continues to maintain a testing policy that instructs only veterans who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to seek testing, which no longer aligns with CDC guidelines. Emerging research suggests that asymptomatic individuals may be able to transmit the virus, necessitating proactive testing.

· Provide de-identified and disaggregated testing data on the VA’s website. VA currently lists the total national tests conducted and total number positive test returns, and breaks down the positive cases and deaths by state and facility. It does not provide the number of tests per facility so it is not possible to calculate the test-positivity rates by week, regional, state, or facility. It should do so. This will allow public health officials to use this information to better understand the state of the pandemic in those areas. VA should also publish testing data by week and disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, sex, disability status, and other factors.

· Plan to ensure a sufficient and appropriate workforce to administer tests and support isolation and quarantine for veterans and service providers, including adequate supplies of personal protective equipment for health care workers.

A VA plan must work in conjunction with a national testing strategy and rapid and widespread increase in availability of testing in the private sector. VA’s existing national health care infrastructure has the ability to alleviate some of the testing burden faced by non-VA medical facilities while also ensuring VA leads in achieving widespread testing.

We recommend VA consider the measures detailed above and in so doing set the stage for the rest of the nation to do the same.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded $7,387,190 in federal funding to help promote access to housing in the Commonwealth. The funding was awarded through the CARES Act Admin Fee Regular and Mainstream Voucher Program, which was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine.

“In this time of deep uncertainty, the last thing families should have to worry about is whether they can afford a roof over their heads,” said the Senators. “That’s why we’re glad to know this federal funding will go towards helping provide needed housing assistance for families across Virginia.”

Through the CARES Act, Congress provided $1.25 billion for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, which funds the Housing Choice Voucher program that helps lower-income families, the elderly, and disabled individuals afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing. This funding includes $400 million for increased subsidy costs and $850 million for administrative and other expenses incurred by public housing authorities (PHAs), including activities to support or maintain the health and safety of assisted individuals and families, and costs related to retention and support of participating owners.

The funding will be awarded as below:

Recipient	Locality	Amount
Abingdon Redevelopment and Housing Authority	Abingdon	$ 11,954
People Inc. of Southwest Virginia	Abingdon	$ 12,270
Accomack-Northampton Regional Housing Auth	Accomac	$ 58,970
Alexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Alexandria	$ 351,652
Arlington County Dept of Human Services	Arlington	$ 325,540
Big Stone Gap Redevelopment and Housing Auth.	Big Stone Gap	$ 11,596
Bristol Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Bristol	$ 32,314
Charlottesville Redev & Housing Authority	Charlottesville	$ 53,300
County of Albemarle/Office of Housing	Charlottesville	$ 57,116
Chesapeake Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Chesapeake	$ 213,516
Wise County Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Coeburn	$ 76,026
Covington Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Covington	$ 5,334
Danville Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Danville	$ 162,286
Scott County Redev. & Housing Authority	Duffield	$ 23,142
Fairfax County Redevelopment & Hsg Authority	Fairfax	$ 1,076,686
Franklin Redevelopment and Housing Authority	Franklin	$ 30,320
Hampton Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Hampton	$ 449,246
Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Harrisonburg	$ 97,628
Hopewell Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Hopewell	$ 62,892
Lee County Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Jonesville	$ 50,504
Loudoun County Department of Family Services	Leesburg	$ 118,846
Lynchburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Lynchburg	$ 92,288
Marion Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Marion	$ 25,572
Buckingham Housing Development Corp. Inc.	New Canton	$ 9,468
Newport News Redevelopment & Housng Authority	Newport News	$ 369,530
Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Norfolk	$ 485,124
Norton Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Norton	$ 11,276
Petersburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Petersburg	$ 94,580
Portsmouth Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Portsmouth	$ 264,730
Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Richmond	$ 408,390
Virginia Housing Development Authority	Richmond	$ 1,243,402
Roanoke Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Roanoke	$ 214,414
Staunton Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Staunton	$ 22,912
Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority	Suffolk	$ 121,034
Va. Beach Dept. of Hsg & Neighborhood Pres.	Virginia Beach	$ 286,164
Waynesboro Redevelopment & Housing Authority	Waynesboro	$ 40,222
James City County Office of Housing	Williamsburg	$ 22,420
Prince William County Office of HCD	Woodbridge	$ 380,346
Wytheville Redev. & Housing Authority	Wytheville	$ 14,180
TOTAL:		$ 7,387,190

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Reed to introduce legislation to create a $75 billion Housing Assistance Fund to help protect renters, homeowners, and communities by preventing avoidable foreclosures, evictions, and utility shut offs. With the potential for a massive wave of evictions and foreclosures due to COVID-19, along with a possible second wave of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Senators are calling on Congress to act now and give Americans a lifeline to keep families in their homes, stabilize communities, and prevent multiple crises from intersecting and overwhelming the U.S. economy. The legislation would provide assistance to communities nationwide and includes a small state minimum, ensuring each state would receive no less than $250 million.

“Too many families in Virginia risk being evicted or having their homes foreclosed on – a threat that could make it all the more difficult to recover financially, even once this pandemic is over,” said Warner. “That’s why we must make it a priority to ensure that Virginia’s renters and homeowners have continued access to safe housing during the biggest economic crisis in a century.”

“Many Americans are in danger of losing their homes due to the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic,” Kaine said. “Congress has to step up and prevent that from happening. I’m proud to join my colleagues to introduce this legislation to provide federal aid to help hardworking Americans during this time of crisis.”

The Housing Assistance Fund would build off of the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF), which provided funds to state housing finance agencies to direct targeted foreclosure prevention assistance to households and neighborhoods in states hit hard by the economic and housing market downturn. The Housing Assistance Fund expands this model to provide a flexible source of federal aid to all state-level Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to help people keep up with housing payments and help keep them in their homes.

Through channels developed for HHF, HFAs could quickly and effectively use federal funding to help struggling households remain in their homes while they search for new employment or wait to get back to work. Financial assistance could go toward mortgage payment and rental assistance; utility and internet payments; and other support to prevent eviction, mortgage delinquency, default, or foreclosure, or loss of utility services.

Along with Warner, Kaine, and Reed, the bill is cosponsored by every Democratic member of the Senate Banking Committee, including Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), as well as Senators Tom Udall (D-NM), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

The bill is supported by a diverse coalition of housing advocates, including: National Council of State Housing Agencies; Habitat for Humanity; National Housing Conference; National Community Reinvestment Coalition; National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders; National Leased Housing Association; Americans for Financial Reform; National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients; Center for Responsible Lending; Rhode Island Housing; and the Rhode Island Association of Realtors.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 13 Senate colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to address the surge in discrimination and hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband, the Senators requested that the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ address this spike in discrimination by taking a concrete steps similar to those DOJ has taken in the past to address jumps in discrimination and hate crimes against a particular community.

“We write to express our deep concern about the surge in discrimination and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the currently inadequate federal response to address these racist and xenophobic attacks, a sharp break from the efforts of past administrations, Republican and Democratic alike,” the Senators wrote.

“There are more than 20 million Americans of Asian descent, and 2 million AAPI individuals are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, as health care workers, law enforcement agents, first responders, and other essential service providers,” they continued. “It is critical that the Civil Rights Division ensure that the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans are protected during this pandemic.”

In the last month alone, Asian American organizations received nearly 1,500 incidents of anti-Asian harassment and discrimination against AAPI individuals across the country. This comes after the FBI assessed in March that hate crime incidents against Asian Americans were likely to surge across the country, endangering AAPI communities.

In their letter, the Senators expressed disappointment at the DOJ’s inadequate response to this threat, and called for the DOJ Civil Rights Division to release a plan to address COVID-19-related hate crimes and discrimination, designate an official to coordinate an interagency response and a review of these incidents, and provide monthly updates to Congress. In addition, they asked the Division to conduct public outreach and engage with AAPI community leaders and distribute materials about civil rights protections in languages used by AAPI communities.

In addition to Sens. Warner, Hirono and Booker, the letter was also signed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Sen. Warner has been outspoken about the need to prevent discrimination and harassment towards Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, he wrote to the President, urging him to avoid using rhetoric that fuels racism towards Asian Americans, and to prevent confusion about COVID-19 from being exploited to target communities of color. He has also previously pressed the coronavirus taskforce only to distribute accurate information about the virus and dispel misinformation or discriminatory rhetoric to help prevent suspicion, panic and race-based assaults. Additionally, he has requested that the Vice President correct the record on mixed Trump administration messages related to COVID-19, and that the FBI conduct community outreach and engage leaders of Chinese American and Asian American organizations to increase connectivity and dialogue.

The letter is available here and below:

Dear Assistant Attorney General Dreiband:

We write to express our deep concern about the surge in discrimination and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the currently inadequate federal response to address these racist and xenophobic attacks, a sharp break from the efforts of past administrations, Republican and Democratic alike. We strongly urge you to take concrete steps to address the disturbing increase in anti-Asian discrimination, as the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) has done in the past.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, researchers have reported an alarming spike in anti-Asian racism. On March 14, 2020, a man stabbed two Asian American children – a 2-year-old and a 6- year-old – and their father at a Sam’s Club in Texas because “he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus.” In the past month alone, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and its partners have received nearly 1,500 reports of coronavirus-related harassment and discrimination against AAPI individuals across the country.

Despite warnings that using offensive and stigmatizing language to refer to COVID-19 could stoke anti-Asian bias, President Trump and his administration’s officials have referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus,” “Wuhan Virus,” and at least one White House official even called it the “Kung Flu.” Such harmful rhetoric contradicts guidance by public health experts. The World Health Organization’s guidance in naming infectious diseases warns against using names that stigmatize certain communities, as such use has “provoke[d] a backlash” against these communities in the past and “can have serious consequences for peoples’ lives and livelihoods.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recognizes the “stigma and discrimination [that] can occur when people associate a disease, such as COVID-19, with a population or nationality.”

In March 2020, the FBI assessed that “hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of coronavirus disease … endangering Asian American communities.” Even though this warning was issued more than a month ago, the Department of Justice has taken little action. In response the Center for Public Integrity’s inquiries about DOJ’s actions to address the increase in anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes, DOJ pointed to an op-ed you published in the Washington Examiner and a briefing call with Asian American advocacy groups. An op-ed and a briefing call are far from an adequate response from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, whose stated purpose is to “uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”

By contrast, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks set off a wave of hate incidents against Arab, Muslim, Sikh and South Asian Americans, the Civil Rights Division implemented a plan with three major elements. This included “(1) a clear and plain statement to the American people that Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian Americans are Americans too, and that hate crimes and discrimination against them would not be tolerated; (2) outreach to the affected communities; and (3) coordination of civil rights enforcement across agencies at all levels of government.” DOJ established a crime task force with experienced federal prosecutors from the Civil Rights Division and various U.S. Attorney’s Offices. The Civil Rights Division also created a team within its National Origin Working Group to document reports of discrimination and make appropriate referrals within the Division and to other federal agencies, and to conduct outreach to affected communities with material translated into multiple languages. In 2011, the Division further acknowledged that significant challenges remained in addressing these issues, noting the concerns affected communities raised regarding other federal programs implemented in the aftermath of 9/11.

There are more than 20 million Americans of Asian descent, and 2 million AAPI individuals are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, as health care workers, law enforcement agents, first responders, and other essential service providers. It is critical that the Civil Rights Division ensure that the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans are protected during this pandemic. To address the spike in anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes, we ask that the Civil Rights Division immediately:

Develop and publicly release a plan that sets forth how the Civil Rights Division will address the increase in discrimination and hate crimes against AAPI individuals;
Designate a DOJ official responsible for coordinating (a) a review of discrimination and hate crimes related to COVID-19 and (b) an interagency response to this issue;
Provide monthly reports to Congress on the (a) number of incidents of discrimination and hate crimes related to COVID-19 received—disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender, and (b) status of related cases that are pending;
Conduct extensive outreach in partnership with community-based organizations and regularly meet with AAPI community leaders; and
Distribute materials explaining civil rights protections in diverse languages used by AAPI communities.

We also request that the Civil Rights Division respond by May 15, 2020, to inform Congress what steps has the Division has taken in response to the jump in anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes since the COVID-19 outbreak began. Please identify the actions each of the sections in the Civil Rights Division have taken to address specific types of discrimination, such as workplace discrimination and harassment in the education context.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that Lee and Wise Countieswill receive $259,000 and $22,500 in federal funds, respectively, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for water improvement projects.

“We are pleased to announce these federal dollars to improve water infrastructure in these communities,” said the Senators. “These projects aim to improve water quality for Virginia families.”

The Wise County Public Service Authority in Wise, Va. will receive $22,500 from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grant program to prepare and evaluate a solids-handling system and an upgrade of the raw water pumps at the Carfax Water Treatment Plant. The report will also study the replacement of the oldest section of water line along Coeburn Mountain at Pole Bridge Road and the hydraulics of the Bond Gap tank system to ensure the two tanks are operating as designed.

The USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grant program assists low-income communities with initial planning and development of applications for the USDA’s Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal direct loan/grant and loan guarantee programs.

The Woodway Water and Sewer Authority in Pennington Gap, Va. will receive $259,000 from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program to make improvements to the Authority's water system, which includes replacing approximately 103,000 linear feet of 3/4-inch to 8-inch water line, installing 96 gate valves and 64 fire hydrants, and associated equipment. The existing Woodway water storage tank will be abandoned, and the water system will be reconfigured so that the Twin Prison tanks will supply the Woodway community. In addition, the project will correct the high risk of cross-contamination with groundwater in the surrounding area and meet the Virginia Department of Health's Ten-State Regulations – which are used as a standard for the minimum number of valves that should be provided on water mains to minimize inconvenience and sanitary hazards during repairs.

The USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA), members of the Congressional Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Caucus, applauded $36,475,848 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education to support Virginia’s five HBCUs. The federal funding was made possible through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support students, colleges, and universities as they cope with the immediate effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“We’re pleased that these federal dollars will assist Virginia’s five HBCUs in continuing to serve their students in the face of the current health and economic crisis,” said the Senators. “These institutions help provide traditionally-underserved communities the tools they need to succeed, and we will continue to advocate for them as they support their students during this ongoing crisis.”

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund set aside just over $1 billion in federal funding for HBCUs and minority serving institutions. These institutions can use the funds to cover costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic, such as lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology, faculty and staff training, payroll, and costs of attendance for eligible students.

Virginia is home to Virginia Union University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Hampton University, and Virginia University of Lynchburg – all of which will receive federal from the CARES Act as follows:

School
Virginia State University	$9,803,132
Virginia Union University	$2,922,768
Virginia University of Lynchburg	$440,105
Hampton University	$9,884,324
Norfolk State University	$13,425,519

Sens. Warner and Kaine are strong supporters of Virginia’s HBCUs. Last year, the Senators successfully pushed to get the FUTURE Act signed into law to restore $255 million in federal funding for these critical institutions.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and a group of senators in a letter to Senate Leaders calling for a temporary expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in the next coronavirus relief package. As the economic effects of COVID-19 are expected to last into next year, this would put money back in the pockets of working Americans as they continue to weather the economic downturn.

“COVID-19 has presented our nation with an unprecedented public health challenge. This Congress has taken several bipartisan steps to address it, along with the resulting economic effects we’ve already seen. However, additional measures are critical to confront and reverse ongoing economic paralysis. The EITC and the CTC are proven and effective tools to increase financial stability for workers and their families. Expanding them will provide much needed support to families and boost our economy as our nation recovers from COVID-19,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators’ letter calls for filling gaps in the EITC and CTC that leave out the youngest adult workers, workers not raising children in the home, and the lowest-income families. Currently, the youngest adult workers – including those on the front lines of coronavirus like health aides, grocery store clerks, and truck drivers – are ineligible for the credit. Workers not raising children in the home are only eligible for a small credit. These gaps mean 5 million American workers are taxed into or further into poverty by our current tax code. Expanding the EITC for these workers would fix this.

The letter also calls for making the CTC fully available to all children as a refundable credit and increasing the credit amount for kids under 6 years of age, to provide additional support to children and families at a time in life that is critical for cognitive development. As the economic effects of coronavirus continue, these changes to the CTC will benefit 26 million kids whose families currently cannot receive the full value of the $2,000 credit.

Together, these expansions will provide support to the workers and families who will be hit the hardest and affected the longest by this crisis.

Today’s letter builds on the Senators’ Working Families Tax Relief Act, which would cut taxes for workers and families by expanding the EITC and CTC. EITC and CTC are two of the most effective tools we have to put money in the pockets of working people and pull children out of poverty. Expanding them will give millions more Americans a foothold in the middle class. Read more about the bill HERE.

In addition to Warner, Brown, Bennet, Durbin and Wyden, the letter was also signed by Sens. Baldwin (D-WI), Blumenthal (D-CT), Booker (D-NJ), Cardin (D-MD), Casey (D-PA), Coons (D-DE), Cortez Masto (D-NV), Duckworth (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA), Gillibrand (D-NY), Harris (D-CA), Hassan (D-NH), Heinrich (D-NM), Hirono (D-HI), Kaine (D-VA), King (D-ME), Klobuchar (D-MN), Leahy (D-VT), Markey (D-MA), Menendez (D-NJ), Merkley (D-OR), Murphy (D-CT), Murray (D-WA), Peters (D-MI), Reed (D-RI), Rosen (D-NV), Schatz (D-HI), Shaheen (D-NH), Smith (D-MN), Stabenow (D-MI), Udall (D-NM), Van Hollen (D-MD), Warren (D-MA), and Whitehouse (D-RI).

A copy of the Senators’ letter to Senate Leaders can be found HERE and below.

Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer:

The economic havoc brought about by COVID-19 will have wide-ranging and long-lasting effects, especially on low-wage workers, children, and their families. CBO expects unemployment to rise to 16% and then hold at levels of 10% through the end of 2021. More aggressive policy steps must be taken to get the economy back on an acceptable path. To help address this, we urge you to include a temporary expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in the next coronavirus legislative package, to take effect for tax year 2020.

COVID-19 has presented our nation with an unprecedented public health challenge. This Congress has taken several bipartisan steps to address it, along with the resulting economic effects we’ve already seen. However, additional measures are critical to confront and reverse ongoing economic paralysis. The EITC and the CTC are proven and effective tools to increase financial stability for workers and their families. Expanding them will provide much needed support to families and boost our economy as our nation recovers from COVID-19.

The EITC promotes work and provides a financial boost to low-wage workers and their families. However, gaps in EITC mean that millions of people are left out. Low-wage seniors over 64 and the youngest adult workers not raising children in the home are locked out entirely: their EITC benefit is zero. In all, five million workers without children are taxed into or deeper into poverty, receiving only a small EITC benefit. Across our country, we have seen the importance of people who do essential jobs but are paid too little. An expanded EITC would provide additional income to supplement their limited earnings. Among the people who would benefit the most from a robust childless adult EITC are cashiers, health-aides, and truck drivers – workers on the front lines of coronavirus. We must fill the existing gaps and increase the size of the credit generally.

The CTC provides a $2,000 credit to eligible families with children. Unfortunately, it currently leaves behind approximately 26 million children. That’s because their families either qualify for no credit at all, or because they qualify for less than the full $2,000. The time is now to fix these obvious flaws by making the CTC fully available to all children as a refundable credit. Doing so would provide the biggest boost to the poorest families, by simply providing them the same amount that more well-off families already receive. We should also increase the credit amount for kids under 6 years of age, to provide additional support to children and families at a time in life that is critical for cognitive development.

We must respond to this unprecedented challenge with policies that provide support to the workers and families who will be hit the hardest and affected the longest by this crisis. Doing so also serves as effective economic stimulus, delivering efficient results to American taxpayers. Our Working Families Tax Relief Act, legislation that we are all sponsoring this Congress, provides the model for making these critical improvements to the EITC and CTC. Working families are depending on us to meet this extraordinary moment by providing them with the support they need to weather the ongoing economic effects of COVID-19 in the years to come. We must deliver for them.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and a group of bipartisan senators in urging the USDA to target COVID-19 relief provisions to reach local farmers in the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). USDA created CFAP to administer relief Congress provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While the CARES Act specifically provides direct assistance to local food producers, USDA has not announced specific details on how this relief will be targeted to local farmers. In a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, the senators urged USDA once again to take steps to reach local farmers with assistance.

“While USDA mentioned that the direct producer assistance program would be made available to producers of all sizes – including local producers, as required by the CARES Act – we are disappointed that there were no specific details on how this assistance will be tailored to the unique challenges that local producers face, or how the Department will conduct outreach to beginning and underserved farmers,” the senators wrote.

The Senators are also specifically urging USDA to support local farmers by:

1. Adjusting the CFAP payment calculations to better reflect the business models of local producers;

2. Amending the covered time period to better reflect when local producers experienced losses; and

3. Developing a robust and inclusive outreach plan to ensure all local food producers – including those with limited internet access and those for whom English is not their first language – are aware of the benefits available to them under the CFAP.

“While we appreciate USDA’s efforts to implement the CFAP with local food producers in mind, we encourage you to incorporate these recommendations as you finalize the CFAP program to ensure local producers are able to participate. By adjusting the mechanism USDA uses to calculate CFAP payments for local food producers, changing the covered time period to reflect those losses experienced after April 15, 2020, and implementing a robust and inclusive outreach plan to reach all local food producers, including new farmers, we can help minimize the significant burden COVID-19 has placed on our local producers,” the senators wrote.

The senators also pressed USDA for information it has yet to provide on how it will conduct outreach to ensure the participation of beginning, underserved, and local food producers in the direct producer assistance program. They urged USDA once again to develop a robust outreach plan that provides technical assistance and ensures local farmers are able to participate in the direct producer assistance program.

Earlier this month, the senators sent an initial letter urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling, and pushed USDA to ensure that a portion of the $9.5 billion they secured in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, goes to local farmers who sell directly to consumers, schools, institutions, food hubs, regional distribution centers, retail markets, farmers markets and restaurants. USDA has yet to respond.

In addition to Warner, Brown, Collins and Stabenow, the letter was also signed by Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Tina Smith (D-MN).

A copy of the letter can be read here and below.

Dear Secretary Perdue,

We write to follow up on our April 9, 2020 letter regarding U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) relief for local food producers, and to urge USDA to incorporate provisions specific to local food producers as the Agency finalizes the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Specifically, we urge USDA to provide support for local food producers by: 1) adjusting the CFAP payment calculations to better reflect the business models of local producers; 2) amending the covered time period to more appropriately reflect when local producers experienced losses; and 3) developing an inclusive outreach plan to ensure all local food producers – including those with limited internet access and those for whom English is not their first language – are aware of the benefits available to them under the CFAP.

On April 17, 2020, USDA announced the new CFAP, which will provide a total of $19 billion in COVID-19 relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including $16 billion for direct assistance to producers and $3 billion for commodity purchases and food distribution. While USDA mentioned that the direct producer assistance program would be made available to producers of all sizes – including local producers, as required by the CARES Act – we are disappointed that there were no specific details on how this assistance will be tailored to the unique challenges that local producers face, or how the Department will conduct outreach to beginning and underserved farmers.

Many local food producers sell a wide variety of crops, specialty crops, and livestock to a variety of local and regional markets. Often, specific records of sales are generalized into broad categories such as produce or livestock but not broken into specific sales by commodity. For example, these producers may have $100,000 in produce sales a year but may not be able to distinguish how much of a specific type of produce is sold at a farmers market versus directly to a restaurant or school. This type of commerce makes it extremely difficult for local food producers to participate in a generic “one size fits all” direct assistance program.

Given this complexity, we recommend that USDA calculate payments based on total farm revenue and consider price premiums for diversified producers, organics, and value-added producers. We also recommend implementation of flexible paperwork requirements that allow more producers to participate in the program and account for different types of record keeping that may be used to sell into local markets.

During USDA’s public announcement, it was suggested that the direct producer assistance would cover up to 85 percent of losses incurred between January and April 15, 2020 and cover up to 30 percent of losses incurred after April 15, 2020. Many producers selling directly to restaurants or schools did not see an economic impact of the COVID-19 disaster until states began issuing stay at home orders and closed non-essential businesses. This occurred in most places starting in mid-March and could continue for several months into the future. We recommend USDA adjust the window of 85 percent coverage to reflect the time period during which farmers have experienced – and continue to experience – significant losses and additional costs as a result of widespread closure of businesses and institutions during the COVID-19 disaster.

In addition, USDA has not provided information on how it will conduct outreach to ensure the participation of beginning, underserved, and local food producers in the direct producer assistance program. Some of these producers already face existing barriers to entry including limited access to internet, English as a second language, and limited technical skills. We recommend USDA develop a thorough outreach plan that provides technical assistance and ensures these producers are able to participate in the direct to producer assistance program.

On top of these existing challenges, local food producers are in the middle of high planting season and many do not have existing relationships with USDA. These producers may struggle to learn a new federal program in time to participate before funding runs out so we request that USDA track farmer program participation and require receipt for service at local Farm Service Agency offices.

While we appreciate USDA’s efforts to implement the CFAP with local food producers in mind, we encourage you to incorporate these recommendations as you finalize the CFAP program to ensure local producers are able to participate. By adjusting the mechanism USDA uses to calculate CFAP payments for local food producers, changing the covered time period to reflect those losses experienced after April 15, 2020, and implementing an outreach plan to reach all local food producers, including new farmers, we can help minimize the significant burden COVID-19 has placed on our local producers.

Thank you for quickly implementing the CFAP; we appreciate your attention to the specific needs and serious challenges faced by local food producers and look forward to working with you on additional targeted relief efforts.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), as well as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in announcing legislation that lays out a framework for an effective COVID-19 response by federalizing and adding critical oversight and transparency to the supply chain for critical medical supplies and equipment. The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act requires the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal response to the pandemic through an equitable and transparent process. 46 Senate Democrats support this legislation, as well as AFL-CIO, SEIU, the National Nurses United, and United Steelworkers. Representatives Katie Porter (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Tim Ryan (D-OH) will introduce the House companion of this legislation.

“The Trump Administration has created absolute chaos in the supply chain leaving frontline health care workers at hospitals and long term care facilities to fend for themselves, rationing the scarce personal protective equipment that has been provided to them. This White House has also not provided our states with all the essential resources and medical supplies we need to combat this pandemic and conduct widespread testing to identify those who are infected,” said Senator Baldwin. “President Trump’s response to this pandemic has been a failure of leadership. Our legislation will help respond to this public health crisis and prepare for the future by unlocking the full authority and power of the Defense Production Act to scale up nation-wide production of the testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment our health care workers need to protect themselves, take care of patients, and save lives.”

“The president’s failure to federalize the medical supply chain has left states operating in a Lord of the Flies environment in the middle of a global pandemic. Governors are forced to compete against each other while suppliers price-gouge. There’s zero transparency from the White House about how they’re allocating critical medical supplies, what is being produced, and how much is sent to the private market for purchase. And above all, we still don’t know who’s in charge,” said Senator Murphy. “This is not acceptable and our states deserve better. That’s why Senate Democrats support our legislation to federalize the medical supply chain and create an equitable and transparent process for delivery. I hope to see this included in the next coronavirus response package considered by Congress.”

“President Trump’s failed leadership during the coronavirus crisis has put our frontline health care workers in a scavenger hunt for their lives and forced Governors to bid against each other for desperately needed resources. The administration’s lack of transparency, slow distribution of essential resources, and poor coordination will continue to cost lives and slow our country’s recovery from this virus,” said Leader Schumer. “That is why my Senate colleagues and I are putting forward a bill – one that’s supported by major unions like the AFL-CIO, SEIU, the National Nurses United, and United Steelworkers – that will use the full authority of the Defense Production Act to stabilize our country’s supply chain, provide critical oversight of the distribution of materials, and most importantly put an expert in charge. We cannot allow those we’re counting on to fight this disease to keep hunting and pecking for the resources they need to keep us safe, which is why this bill must be a part of the next coronavirus response package.”

The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act would:

Require publicly reported national assessments on a weekly basis to determine national critical equipment supply and requirements.
- These reports will also identify industry sectors and manufacturers most ready to fill orders, stockpiles that can be refurbished or repaired, manufacturers that could expand production into PPE and medical supplies, and supplies and equipment that can be redistributed to new hotspots.
These reports would also include direct outreach with essential employees and health care workers.

o Establish an Executive Officer to oversee acquisition and logistics for COVID-19 equipment production and delivery.

o The Executive Officer will have all the authorities available under the DPA.

o The Executive Officer is required to issue major purchase orders under DPA for supplies identified in the assessments, oversee all distribution of critical medical supplies, and make recommendations to the President on increasing national production capacity of supplies.

o The Executive Officer will be a civilian position appointed by the Secretary of the Defense and will be authorized additional uniformed and DOD civilian personnel in supporting roles.

The Executive Officer will ensure that all unused supplies in excess of need will be turned over to the Strategic National Stockpile.
The Executive Officer will terminate after confirming to Congress that all State and territorial medical supply needs have been met and national stockpiles have been replenished.

Increase transparency regarding the distribution of supplies and equipment.
- The Executive Officer is required to publicly post all states’ requests for assistance, metrics and criteria for amount and destination of distribution, metrics for determining hotspots and areas of future concern, and production and procurement benchmarks.
Require a comprehensive plan for COVID–19 testing, including viral and antibody testing.

Establish a comprehensive plan to address necessary supply chain issues in order to rapidly scale up production of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Require a GAO report to identify lessons learned and make recommendations on future pandemic response.
Establish an Inspector General to oversee implementation of the Act.

The full bill text is available here.

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded $10,832,775 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services in preventing, preparing for and responding to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The federal funding was made possible through the FY2020 Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) program, which provides $850 million to assist states, local units of government and tribes during this outbreak. The CESF funding was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine.

“Every day, our law enforcement professionals put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe,” said the Senators. “In the face of this dangerous outbreak, it’s more important than ever that these officials have the supplies they need to do their jobs as safely as possible. That’s why we’re glad to know that these federal dollars will help the Commonwealth pay for the resources it needs as we fight this outbreak.”

Earlier this week, the DOJ also awarded $259,453 in CESF funding to three localities in the Commonwealth as follows:

$112,531 for the City of Lynchburg
$98,689 for the City of Petersburg
$48,233 for Henry County

CESF funding may be used to help purchase equipment – including law enforcement and medical personal protective equipment – or supplies, such as gloves, masks, and sanitizer. It can also be used to pay for overtime, hiring, training, or travel expenses – particularly those related to the distribution of resources to the most impacted areas. The funding can also be used to address the medical needs of inmates in state, local, and tribal prisons, jails, and detention centers.

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WASHINGTON — Today Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Senate Democrats in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), urging Leader McConnell to make COVID-19 related matters and oversight of all COVID-related legislation enacted by Congress the Senate’s focus.

Despite the severity of the COVID-19 public health and economic emergencies, no legislative or committee business related to the COVID-19 public health and economic emergencies has been scheduled. The Senators request a series of hearings for next week—to be undertaken in the safest possible environment, and subject to uniform standards developed by the Office of Attending Physician—on the nation’s testing capabilities; the implementation of and access to the Paycheck Protection Program; the implementation of and access to the Treasury and Federal Reserve’s Lending Facilities; the best ways to protect the health and safety of our frontline workers; the implementation of the CARES Act’s Unemployment Insurance provisions; and confirmation of appointees to the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Commission.

The Ranking Members of the Senate will also request a series of oversight hearings throughout the Senate Committees of jurisdiction as follow-up to the Senators’ letter.

The letter is signed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Assistant Democratic Leader Patty Murray (D-WA), Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senate Committee on Appropriations Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senate Committee on the Judiciary Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senate Committee on Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Committee on Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Committee on Environment and Public Works Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE), Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senate Committee on Budget Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Senate Committee on Aging Ranking Member Bob Casey (D-PA), Senate Rules Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT), Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Vice Chairman Tom Udall (D-NM), Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI).

Senate Democrats’ letter to Leader McConnell can be found below:

April 28^th, 2020

Dear Leader McConnell:

The Senate is currently scheduled to return to session on May 4^th, 2020 to debate non-COVID related nominations. There is currently no scheduled legislative or committee business related to the COVID-19 public health and economic emergencies.

Pursuant to your decision to convene the Senate during the week of May 4^th, despite the public health emergency in Washington, D.C., we respectfully urge you to have the Senate focus on COVID-19 related matters and oversight of all COVID-related legislation enacted by Congress. With respect to any Committee hearing, we also urge the Senate Leader to take strong actions to ensure the hearings are conducted in the safest environment possible, by requiring the Office of the Attending Physician to develop uniform standards on protecting the public health of Senators, employees, and witnesses for each Committee to follow, and charging the appropriate Senate support agency with assisting committees in implementing the guidance when necessary.

We believe the Senate should immediately consider next week:

A public hearing with Administration officials and industry leaders and experts regarding our testing capabilities and capacity, and implementation of the requirement of zero out of pocket cost testing for all populations.
A public hearing regarding the implementation of and access to the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program with the Small Business Administration Administrator Carranza.
A public hearing regarding the implementation of and access to the Treasury and Federal Reserve’s Lending Facilities with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell.
A public hearing regarding the best ways to protect the health and safety of our frontline workers with Administration officials and health and safety advocates.
A public hearing regarding the implementation of the CARES Act’s Unemployment Insurance provisions with Labor Secretary Scalia.
Confirmation of appointees to the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Commission, including the chairperson.

In addition, there are scores of other issues that require oversight and public hearings in the coming days and weeks ahead. We believe each Committee in the Senate has an important oversight role to play in responding to the COVID-19 emergency. The Ranking Members of the Senate, in consultation with their committee members, will be requesting a series of oversight hearings as a follow-up to this letter.

Sincerely,

CC:

Chairman Pat Roberts, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

Chairman Richard Shelby, Senate Committee on Appropriations

Chairman James Inhofe, Senate Committee on Armed Services

Chairman Mike Crapo, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Chairman Michael Enzi, Senate Committee on Budget

Chairman Roger Wicker, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Chairwomen Lisa Murkowski, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Chairman John Barrasso, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Chairman Chuck Grassley, Senate Committee on Finance

Chairman James Risch, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Chairman Lamar Alexander, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Chairman Ron Johnson, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Chairman John Hoeven, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Chairman Lindsey Graham, Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Chairman Roy Blunt, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

Chairman James Lankford, Senate Select Committee on Ethics

Chairman Richard Burr, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Chairman Marco Rubio, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Chairwoman Susan Collins, Senate Special Committee on Aging

Chairman Jerry Moran, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

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WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) joined Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 28 of their Senate colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to include their plan for a $50 billion childcare bailout in the next coronavirus relief package, saying it is indispensable part of the nation’s response to the pandemic.

Earlier this month, Sens. Smith and Warren unveiled their plan to stabilize the childcare system, keep providers in business, and ensure parents are able to go back to work when it is safe to return. A recent report revealed that without adequate support, Minnesota could lose 55 percent of its childcare supply and Massachusetts could lose 34 percent. And now, Sens. Smith, Warren and their fellow senators are calling on Senate leaders to prioritize this funding in the next relief package, as well as making sure small businesses and nonprofits involved in caring for children receive support from the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program.

“We write to strongly urge you to prioritize funding childcare in the next legislative package that responds to the public health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic and emergency,”wrote the senators. “While the $3.5 billion for childcare included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was an important first step in helping to fund childcare for frontline healthcare workers and other essential employees, since its passage, we have only learned more about the extent of closures required by this pandemic and the dire situation that childcare providers are in, which necessitates additional relief. Accordingly, we urge you to provide at least $50 billion in emergency funding in order to stabilize the entire childcare industry, provide childcare for essential workers including healthcare workers, and invest in childcare for our long-term economic recovery.”

The letter to Senate leaders was also signed by Sens. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Tom Carper (D-Del.).

A copy of the letter sent today is available here or below:

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,

We write to strongly urge you to prioritize funding childcare in the next legislative package that responds to the public health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic and emergency. While the $3.5 billion for childcare included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was an important first step in helping to fund childcare for frontline healthcare workers and other essential employees, since its passage, we have only learned more about the extent of closures required by this pandemic and the dire situation that childcare providers are in, which necessitates additional relief. Accordingly, we urge you to provide at least $50 billion in emergency funding in order to stabilize the entire childcare industry, provide childcare for essential workers including healthcare workers, and invest in childcare for our long-term economic recovery.

Childcare programs across this country have been pushed to the brink and many now find themselves making a difficult choice: stay open, providing childcare for essential workers and serving vastly fewer children with increased staffing and necessary cleaning costs and diminished tuition revenue, or close altogether to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. And given the already high cost of childcare, most families cannot afford to continue to pay for childcare they are not using, thus providers have seen an enormous drop in revenue, almost overnight. Initial survey data at the beginning of this crisis indicated that nearly 50 percent of childcare programs would not survive a closure of more than two weeks without an infusion of support.

This country has long neglected our responsibility to invest in childcare. Even before this pandemic, the challenge of finding affordable, high-quality, safe, and nurturing care has been a massive burden on families. The market for childcare was at risk heading into this crisis because even when their classrooms were filled before the pandemic, providers struggled to stay afloat on the thinnest of margins. As anyone who has cared for small children knows, childcare is labor-intensive work that is hard to scale and cannot be automated. So paradoxically, despite the fact that childcare often costs more than what families can pay, childcare workers are generally paid less than they deserve—workers who are often women and women of color. In more than half the states in the country, the cost of a year of childcare is more than a year of in-state college tuition. The average cost of childcare for a single child is between nine percent to 36 percent of a family’s total income, and that share increases dramatically with multiple children. For single parents, the cost of center-based infant care could easily eat up between 27 percent to 91 percent of their average income. And even before childcare providers started laying off workers and closing their doors due to coronavirus, more than half of all Americans lived in childcare “deserts”—communities without adequate childcare options. Childcare deserts are especially prevalent in rural, Native, and Latinx communities.

Providers throughout the market that are part of the subsidy system and the private-pay market are finding themselves unable to weather this economic storm without emergency help. Closures have already begun, and without a clear end in sight, the widespread effects are already being felt. We will not be able to rebuild our economy if this country’s childcare system has collapsed because of this pandemic. When the economy can safely start to come back, millions of parents will not be able to return to work or reopen their own small businesses if they cannot find safe, affordable, and reliable care for their children. If childcare providers, both centers and family-childcare, are allowed to go out of business, we risk permanently reducing the supply of childcare in this country.

A recent economic analysis estimates that at least $9.6 billion is needed each month to meet childcare needs for essential workers and to ensure existing providers who are forced to close during the pandemic can stay in business and reopen when it is safe to do so. The total economic impact of childcare is estimated to be $99 billion a year, and state childcare officials and local providers are in dire straits, clamoring for support beyond what Congress has already provided if they are able to come out on the other side of this crisis.

We urge you to provide at least $50 billion in emergency funding to bailout childcare, an amount which will stabilize the system, keep providers in business, and ensure a viable path for parents to go back to work when it is safe to do so. We urge you to prioritize funding in order to:

Keep childcare available to frontline and essential workers: Many providers across the country are risking their own health to provide emergency care for the children of essential workers, including doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, and first responders. These providers are faced with the double whammy of increased costs (due to longer operating hours and the need for more intensive and frequent cleaning), and less revenue due to significantly reduced enrollment. We must provide emergency funding to childcare providers that need to stay open for our brave frontline and essential workers. This funding should also provide increased paid leave and hazard pay for childcare workers risking their own health to remain open and totally eliminate fees for essential workers during this crisis.

Keep all providers in business and all workers on payroll: Necessary closures have left tens of thousands of childcare providers without revenue to pay their workers or their basic operating expenses. We must provide emergency funding to save the sector from collapse and to prevent more unemployment. This funding should be used to maintain providers’ payroll, cover mortgage or rent payments, provide employee benefits, and other business expenses. We must ensure that providers have the funding to train workers on new necessary health and safety procedures and to provide families with virtual learning opportunities and mental health support.

Invest in childcare long-term for when Americans can safely get back to work: Beyond the immediate need to keep the industry afloat during this emergency, we must rebuild the system to ensure that more families have access to high-quality, affordable childcare. This also includes improving childcare infrastructure and increasing wages for childcare workers, which would further boost our economic recovery when this pandemic is over. Providers will also need funding to support social-emotional learning and mental health to address the mental health needs caused by the pandemic. These structural investments are key to ensure the sector is prepared to care for the children of all Americans trying to get back to work once we are beyond this crisis.

We urge you to provide at least $50 billion in emergency funding in a manner that ensures that every state, territory, and tribal nation gets needed funding quickly to get money out the door to providers. You can accomplish this through the Child Care and Development Block Grant by providing states with the flexibility necessary to immediately meet the needs outlined above and to gradually get the childcare system running again once parents return to work through an incremental approach that funds providers by classroom capacity rather than by child attendance.

Finally, childcare providers, especially those who encounter challenges in accessing support through state administered programs, need more certainty and more options. In addition to emergency funding, we urge you to ensure that small businesses and nonprofits involved in caring for children receive support from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. We have heard directly from providers facing significant obstacles to accessing support from the Paycheck Protection Program, established in the CARES Act. It’s clear that key improvements to the program are needed so that childcare providers and all small businesses involved in caring for children and supporting families, including afterschool programs and summer camps, can receive direct support from it. We urge you to fully fund the Paycheck Protection Program and work with us to ensure that any qualifying small businesses and nonprofits involved in caring for children and supporting families can easily and reliably access it.

We have only two options as a country: we can either do what is needed to stabilize the childcare system, or we can watch childcare providers collapse, one by one in our communities, leaving children, families, and childcare workers with no system to return to and hamstringing our economic recovery. We must act to save childcare and ensure that it can be an active engine in our eventual economic recovery. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) joined Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary C. Peters (D-Mich.) and 18 of their Senate colleagues in writing to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regarding the safety of federal workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The senators are requesting information on the agencies’ efforts to ensure that agencies maximize telework across their workforce, collect and provide data on current teleworking practices at federal agencies, standardize the procedures by which positive cases of COVID-19 are handled and disclosed, and on how OMB and OPM are evaluating when it is safe for federal employees to return to work at their physical job sites.

Joining Sens. Warner, Warren, Murray, and Peters sending the letter are Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-Maine), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)

“As the number of coronavirus cases and the number of deaths—including deaths of federal employees—continue to rise, it is imperative that all federal employees are appropriately protected, and have assurance that their safety will take precedence and be the highest priority in decisions about when and how they return to their job sites,” the senators wrote.

As the two agencies tasked with managing human resources across the federal government, OMB and OPM have the authority and responsibility to protect federal employees and prevent them from contracting and unwittingly spreading COVID-19 during this pandemic. Last week, OMB and OPMissued a memo directing federal agencies to “incorporate” President Trump’s Opening Up America Again guidelines “into agency workplace protocols,” and encouraging federal agencies “to allow Federal employees and contractors to return to the office in low-risk areas.” Public health experts have expressed serious concerns about these guidelines and warned that there is still not sufficient testing, tracing, or personal protective equipment to know where, and when it is safe to relax social distancing and quarantine guidelines.

In their letter, the senators noted that, although thousands of federal employees have reportedly been infected with COVID-19, teleworking has been implemented inconsistently across the federal government. The senators cited reports that some employees’ requests to work remotely are being denied, even though their jobs can be done remotely, and that in some offices, senior staff are able to telework while lower-level administrative staff are required to come to work in close quarters. They highlighted a recent report that some workers might be hiding their symptoms out of fear of retaliations, because of pressure to return to work. The senators also noted that there appears to be no uniform guidance for federal agencies to handle and report positive COVID-19 cases among their workforce.

“In the face of this pandemic, your agencies should take aggressive and ongoing measures, as recommended by public health experts, to protect federal workers and prevent the deadly spread of COVID-19,” the senators continued. “Additionally, this crisis has demonstrated the clear ability of a great many federal workers to work remotely via telework and has therefore renewed questions regarding why this Administration has restricted effective, efficient, and—as this moment demonstrates—beneficial telework for federal workers.”

The senators raised concerns that the recently-issued OMB and OPM guidance may be taken as a signal that there is no need to make telework more widely available because further direction to reopen the government may be forthcoming.

To address their concerns, the senators asked that OPM and OMB answer a series of questions about ensuring that agencies maximize telework, procedures among agencies for reporting and handling COVID-19 cases, how they are determining when to roll back telework guidance, and more. They requested answers to their questions by May 8, 2020.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Representatives Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), along with 139 House and Senate colleagues in urging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to work directly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that the millions of Americans who are now eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid due to job loss or reduction in income are informed that they are also eligible for the FCC’s Lifeline program. The Lifeline program is the primary federal program charged with helping low-income families obtain broadband and telephone services.

“Non-essential businesses and schools have closed across the country to limit the spread of the coronavirus, leaving families to rely on the internet now more than ever to access public benefits, search for employment, learn from home, or access telehealth services. The need is greatest among low-income households forced to stretch limited resources to try to keep up with monthly expenses and put food on the table during the public health crisis. For these vulnerable populations, the FCC’s Lifeline program can help struggling families afford basic internet and telephone connectivity at a time when they need it most – but only if they know about it,” the lawmakers wrote.

“While we understand that the FCC has traditionally issued guidelines for states and telecommunications providers to advertise the Lifeline program, given the critical role of internet connectivity during the coronavirus pandemic, we urge the FCC to coordinate directly with USDA and HHS as well as states and stakeholders to help ensure people in need are informed about their eligibility for the Lifeline program.”

The letter is supported by Public Knowledge, the National Consumers Law Center, United Church of Christ, OC Inc., and Third Way.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that connectivity is more important than ever. I’ve called for the FCC to coordinate with agencies that administer services that determine eligibility for the Lifeline program to ensure low-income communities learn about the critical Lifeline program. Americans cannot afford for the government to work in silos, and I’m thankful for the leadership of Senator Klobuchar, Senator Durbin, Congresswoman Fudge, and Congresswoman Eshoo to make sure more Americans know about this essential program in our social safety net,” FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said.

“The Lifeline program provides critical connectivity for those who need it most. Informing consumers about their Lifeline eligibility is a necessary step to help close the digital divide and is clearly something we should continue doing even after the pandemic ends. We are grateful for the leadership of Senators Klobuchar and Durbin and Representatives Fudge and Eshoo on this issue,” said Chris Lewis, President and CEO, Public Knowledge.

In addition to Warner, Klobuchar, and Durbin, the letter was signed by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Doug Jones (D-AL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tom Udall (D-NM), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

In addition to Fudge and Eshoo, the letter was signed by Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), Cindy Axne (D-IA),Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), André Carson (D-IN), Ed Case (D-HI), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Anthony Brown (D-MD), TJ Cox (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Al Green (D-TX), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Deb Haaland (D-NM), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Daniel Kildee (D-MI), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Susie Lee (D-NV), John Lewis (D-GA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Donald McEachin (D-VA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Joe Morelle (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), David Price (D-NC), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Kim Schrier (D-WA), David Scott (D-GA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), José Serrano (D-NY), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), David Trone (D-MD), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), and John Yarmuth (D-KY).

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below:

Dear Chairman Pai:

We write to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to work directly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help ensure the millions of people in the U.S. who are newly eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid, due to job loss or reductions in income, are informed of their eligibility for the FCC’s Lifeline program. The Lifeline program is the primary federal program charged with providing financial assistance to help low-income families obtain broadband and telephone services.

The ongoing pandemic has led to financial hardships for millions of Americans. At least 26 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the past month alone, and states are seeing a surge in applications for SNAP benefits. Medicaid enrollment is also expected to increase significantly as a result of these unprecedented job losses and health coverage. Non-essential businesses and schools have closed across the country to limit the spread of the coronavirus, leaving families to rely on the internet now more than ever to access public benefits, search for employment, learn from home, or access telehealth services. The need is greatest among low-income households forced to stretch limited resources to try to keep up with monthly expenses and put food on the table during the public health crisis. For these vulnerable populations, the FCC’s Lifeline program can help struggling families afford basic internet and telephone connectivity at a time when they need it most – but only if they know about it.

Congress recently passed legislation to provide states additional funding and flexibility to streamline access to SNAP for people adversely effected by the economic impact of the coronavirus. Many of the at least 26 million Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own in the last five weeks may also soon turn to the food assistance programs to feed their families and enroll in Medicaid to access necessary health care. This will likely lead to a significant increase in the number of individuals eligible for the Lifeline program.

Even before the pandemic, only 7 million out of the 38 million people who were eligible for the Lifeline program were enrolled. While we understand that the FCC has traditionally issued guidelines for states and telecommunications providers to advertise the Lifeline program, given the critical role of internet connectivity during the coronavirus pandemic, we urge the FCC to coordinate directly with USDA and HHS as well as states and stakeholders to help ensure people in need are informed about their eligibility for the Lifeline program. We also respectfully request responses to the following questions:

What is the FCC currently doing to work with the USDA and HHS to help ensure that people in the U.S. who are newly eligible for the Lifeline program are aware that they can receive subsidized communications services?
What data has the FCC collected on the number of people in the U.S. who are newly eligible for the Lifeline program since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and how many of those newly eligible have enrolled in the program?
Please detail the additional resources and authorities the FCC needs to ensure qualifying people in the U.S. know that they are eligible for the Lifeline program.

Thank you for prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) joined Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and a group of 24 Democratic senators in calling for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) to conduct a full assessment, including site inspections, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities nationwide to evaluate whether the facilities’ operations, management, standards, and conditions have adapted to address the threat of COVID-19 to both the staff and detainees.

Joining Sens. Warner and Udall on the letter to the DHS IG were U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Dick Durbin (D-Il.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

The letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari cites reports from across the country that staff at ICE’s detention facilities with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are working without masks or gloves, detainees are not provided adequate access to hygiene products like soap and sanitizer, and facilities are doing little to accommodate social distancing practices.

“As the numbers of detainees and detention facility staff infected with COVID-19 continue to climb, we share the unease that public health experts have expressed about the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in congregate settings, like detention facilities,” wrote the senators. “Not only are detainees at higher risk because they are in such close proximity to others, people in detention and incarceration are more likely to have other preexisting health conditions, which places them at even higher risk for mortality from the virus. Further, outbreaks inside congregate settings often affect employees who then can spread the disease into their broader communities.”

In the letter, the senators request that “In order to mitigate the spread of this virus in its congregate settings, we request that, similar to the Justice Department Inspector General’s remote inspections of BOP facilities, you expeditiously conduct site inspections of ICE facilities that have identified positive cases among staff or detainees, and at facilities in geographic areas that have emerged as hot spots. Second, we ask that you immediately examine and assess the sufficiency of policies and practices in place at each facility to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was joined by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Banking Committee, and fellow Committee members Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Doug Jones (D-AL) in pushing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to make sure that minority and low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities get proper access to the critical assistance made available under the CARES Act and the recently enacted Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPP Enhancement Act).

“As you know, the public health and economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak have been particularly disproportionate and severe for LMI and minority communities. Congress took important first steps to help address the acute impact being felt in these communities by passing the PPP Enhancement Act. This legislation includes important set-asides for community and mission oriented lenders,” the Senators wrote in a letter today, urging Mnuchin and Powell to take several steps to make funds available to minority depository institutions (MDIs) and mission-oriented leaders like community development financial institutions (CDFIs).

“MDIs and CDFIs are effective gateways to serving LMI communities and minority households and communities with high concentrations of minority populations. Data indicates that MDIs tend to serve communities in which a higher share of the population lives in LMI census tracts and a higher share of residents are minorities, compared with non-MDI banks,” the Senators noted. “In addition, MDIs tend to originate a greater share of their mortgages for properties in LMI census tracts and to minority borrowers when compared with non-MDI community banks. Compared with non-MDIs, MDIs also originate a greater share of SBA 7(a) loans to borrowers in LMI census tracts and to borrowers in census tracts with higher shares of minority residents. Similarly, CDFIs have demonstrated a strong track record of success in reaching LMI and minority communities. Getting critical dollars into these communities quickly can mean all the difference for these hard-hit communities.”

The full text of today’s letter is available below, and a copy of the letter is available here.

April 27, 2020

The Honorable Jerome H. Powell

Chairman

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20551

The Honorable Steven Mnuchin

Secretary of the Treasury

U.S. Department of the Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Chairman Powell and Secretary Mnuchin:

Thank you for your ongoing work to help stabilize the U.S. economy and provide assistance to businesses and workers during the unprecedented health emergency caused by the onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We appreciate your continued efforts to implement the various economic support programs Congress enacted as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As the Federal Reserve and Treasury move forward with these efforts, we believe it is critical to ensure that minority and low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities get proper access to the critical assistance made available under the CARES Act and the recently enacted Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPP Enhancement Act).

As you know, the public health and economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak have been particularly disproportionate and severe for LMI and minority communities. Congress took important first steps to help address the acute impact being felt in these communities by passing the PPP Enhancement Act. This legislation includes important set-asides for community and mission oriented lenders. In order to help better achieve the goals of the PPP Enhancement Act and increase the flow of credit directly into minority and LMI communities, we urge you to take the following steps:

(1) allocate a significant portion of the $30 billion in new funds made available under the PPP Enhancement Act for minority depository institutions (MDIs) and mission-oriented lenders like community development financial institutions (CDFIs);

(2) provide these institutions with direct access to the Federal Reserve’s Paycheck Protection Program Lending (PPPL) Facility;

(3) to the extent practicable, modify the settlement timeline for the PPPL Facility from T+1 to T+0 (or same day settlement) to ensure adequate liquidity for these institutions; and

(4) indemnify these institutions from any put-backs or invalidation of guarantee from the SBA absent lender fraud.

In addition, we strongly urge you to work through the regional Federal Reserve Banks in order to conduct advance outreach to these institutions with the goal of facilitating uptake of the PPPL Facility. This includes providing the training and tools necessary to quickly access and utilize these important programs.

MDIs and CDFIs are effective gateways to serving LMI communities and minority households and communities with high concentrations of minority populations. Data indicates that MDIs tend to serve communities in which a higher share of the population lives in LMI census tracts and a higher share of residents are minorities, compared with non-MDI banks. In addition, MDIs tend to originate a greater share of their mortgages for properties in LMI census tracts and to minority borrowers when compared with non-MDI community banks. Compared with non-MDIs, MDIs also originate a greater share of SBA 7(a) loans to borrowers in LMI census tracts and to borrowers in census tracts with higher shares of minority residents. Similarly, CDFIs have demonstrated a strong track record of success in reaching LMI and minority communities.

Getting critical dollars into these communities quickly can mean all the difference for these hard-hit communities. We appreciate your continued efforts to help sustain the American economy during these challenging times and look forward to working together to help minority and LMI communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you for your consideration.

###

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and fellow Senate Democrats in responding to the Trump Administration’s needless bureaucratic restrictions on how Governors can distribute Coronavirus Relief Funds to their states. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Senators called on the Secretary to revise initial guidelines so that they can provide essential public services amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, as the law intends.

Congress unanimously passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law No. 116-136), including a $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund for states, to help provide a measure of certainty and economic stability to all fifty states. But one month later, President Trump has reignited feuds with governors and is now trying to impose overly restrictive regulations that were not part of the bipartisan CARES Act. This could cripple each state’s ability to respond and recover.

The Coronavirus Relief Funds may be utilized by states and local governments to help with urgent needs and cope with the public health and economic impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Under the law, states may use the federal funding for costs related to the COVID-19 public health emergency incurred between March 1 and December 30, 2020. This federal funding is provided to relieve pressure on state budgets and meant to ensure they can maintain public services.

But when U.S. Treasury issued its initial Coronavirus Relief Fund guidance for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments, it included limiting language not found in the law.

Now, forty-six United States Senators are calling on the Trump Administration to reverse course and revise the overly restrictive guidance. In their letter to Secretary Mnuchin, the Senators urged the Trump Administration: “to follow the law as written instead of creating more bureaucratic red tape in the middle of a public health emergency and ensuing economic crisis. Of all the regulations that this Administration seeks to cut, it should start with this one.”

State and local governments are being pushed to the financial brink by skyrocketing costs and plunging revenue, and they need stability in order to have a chance at recovery. Senate Democrats resoundingly reject Senate Republican Majority Leader McConnell’s (R-KY) suggestion that states go into bankruptcy as a preferable alternative to additional flexible federal assistance. The Democratic Senators say this pandemic is a truly national emergency that requires a bipartisan national response and strong support from the federal government.

The Democratic Senators note that the new limits the Trump Administration is seeking to impose on states is counterproductive and creates needless obstacles: “In the midst of an economic collapse, the intent of the entire CARES Act is to provide flexible help to a wide range of Americans. To prevent the flexible use of these relief funds is a choice that is neither required nor intended by law,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators also write “that the Treasury Department should publicly confirm that states, Tribes and localities may use these funds to maintain their essential services as the CARES Act clearly permits.”

If the Trump Administration insists on imposing its overly restrictive interpretation of the law, it could severely limit states’ abilities to respond and recover, forcing states and communities to cut public services, and lead to layoffs of public employees on the front lines of COVID-19 response.

In addition to Sens. Warner, Kaine, and Reed, the letter was signed by Senators Baldwin (D-WI), Bennet (D-CO), Blumenthal (D-CT), Booker (D-NJ), Brown (D-OH), Cardin (D-MD), Carper (D-DE), Casey (D-PA), Coons (D-DE), Cortez Masto (D-NV), Duckworth (D-IL), Durbin (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA), Gillibrand (D-NY), Harris (D-CA), Hassan (D-NH), Heinrich (D-NM), Hirono (D-HI), Jones (D-AL), King (I-ME), Klobuchar (D-MN), Leahy (D-VT), Manchin (D-WV), Markey (D-MA), Menendez (D-NJ), Merkley (D-OR), Murphy (D-CT), Murray (D-WA), Peters (D-MI), Rosen (D-NV), Sanders (I-VT), Schatz (D-HI), Schumer (D-NY), Shaheen (D-NH), Sinema (D-AZ), Smith (D-MN), Stabenow (D-MI), Tester (D-MT), Udall (D-NM), Van Hollen (D-MD), Warren (D-MA), Whitehouse (D-RI), and Wyden (D-OR).

Full text of the letter follows:

April 26, 2020

The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin

Secretary

Department of the Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Secretary Mnuchin:

We write regarding the Treasury Department’s Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance to urge you to promptly revise your interpretation so states, Tribal, and local governments can use these funds to prevent further economic damage.

While the term “lost revenue” does not appear specifically in Title V of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a plain text reading of the law leads to the logical conclusion that lost or delayed revenues are a direct cost created by the coronavirus that were never accounted for in any budget. Therefore, we believe it is fully within your authority and the intent of the CARES Act that these funds may be used to replace lost or delayed tax revenues and maintain public services. In the midst of an economic collapse, the intent of the entire CARES Act is to provide flexible help to a wide range of Americans. To prevent the flexible use of these relief funds is a choice that is neither required nor intended by law.

We are not alone in this view. Governors and Senators from both sides of the aisle have set aside ideology and urged you to follow the law as written instead of creating more bureaucratic red tape in the middle of a public health emergency and ensuing economic crisis. Of all the regulations that this Administration seeks to cut, it should start with this one.

We all have a common interest in preserving as much of our economy as possible so that we are well positioned for a robust recovery. A critical component of our economy is our state, Tribal, and local governments as they not only serve as customers for our local businesses, but also provide the essential services, such as effective law enforcement, public infrastructure, a strong education system, and other necessary conditions that provide the business certainty that make our country attractive to businesses and investors throughout the world. We should preserve and maintain this critical comparative advantage.

To avoid distracting states, Tribes, and localities from meeting the crisis at hand, the Treasury Department should publicly confirm that states, Tribes and localities may use these funds to maintain their essential services as the CARES Act clearly permits.

We thank you for your consideration and urge you to act promptly.

Sincerely,

###

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