U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) is calling for full funding to address the global Coronavirus outbreak and protect the health and safety of Michiganders. In a letter, Peters highlighted the importance of sufficient funding to address a number of pressing needs, including assisting state and local public health agencies in detecting and preventing the spread of Coronavirus; restoring funding to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pandemic prevention programs; and securing critical equipment and supplies, including personal protective equipment like masks and gloves, and vaccines. Peters serves as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, which will convene a hearing on the government response to the outbreak this Thursday morning.
“As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, keeping Michiganders and all Americans safe is my top priority,” wrote Senator Peters. “Families in Michigan and across the country are counting on us to provide them with the resources, information and equipment needs to protect public health and prevent a widespread outbreak in the United States.”
Peters has pressed for a strong federal response to the Coronavirus outbreak. Last week, Peters convened a call with public health officials and hospitals from across Michigan on preventing the spread of Coronavirus within the state. Peters also joined Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) in requesting detailed information about the Trump Administration’s strategy for responding to the emerging outbreak and called on the Administration to fully fund pandemic preparedness and response efforts in the 2021 budget.
He also questioned the Trump Administration’s decision to allow patients infected with the Coronavirus to return to the U.S. on a plane with healthy passengers – possibly risking exposure to the virus. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Peters and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) expressed their concerns that the Administration disregarded the advice of the public health and national security experts, and could have risked a broader community outbreak within the U.S. In addition, Peters joined Johnson in pressing the Administration for information on the security of the nation’s medical supply chain, which could lead to shortages of critical drugs and medical equipment due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Peters has been briefed at the White House on the Administration’s ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak, and he convened a roundtable discussion with public health and security leaders to examine the federal government’s actions to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Peters also joined his colleagues in calling on the Administration to appoint a global health security expert to the White House’s National Security Council (NSC) to coordinate the Administration’s Coronavirus response efforts. The NSC has been without a health expert for almost two years.
Peters also urged the Trump Administration to launch a centralized federal website – “Coronavirus.gov” – to provide trusted information to the American people about the Coronavirus outbreak. In a letter addressed to Vice President Mike Pence, who has been appointed to lead the U.S. response to the epidemic, Peters argued that challenges finding clear, reliable information about the virus could contribute to its continued spread and undermine public health. Peters personally delivered the letter to the Vice President at a Coronavirus briefing for Senators in the Senate this afternoon.
“I have heard from public health and safety professionals in Michigan that the flood of mixed messaging and misinformation circulating about the Coronavirus has undermined the government’s ability to communicate effectively with the American people,” said Senator Peters. “That’s why I’m calling on the Trump Administration to launch Coronavirus.gov. A centralized website would allow the federal government to deliver timely, trusted, and much-needed guidance to public health officials, health care providers, and the public to better contain the spread of Coronavirus in Michigan and across the country.”
During global health crises, coordinated disinformation campaigns and even well-meaning but misleading information can spread quickly online. Since the initial Coronavirus outbreak in December, which has infected more than 90,000 individuals and caused at least 3,000 deaths worldwide, misinformation and disinformation about the virus has spread quickly. A State Department report found that “roughly 2 million tweets peddled conspiracy theories about the coronavirus over the three-week period when the outbreak began to spread outside China.”
The centralized “Coronavirus.gov” will help ensure that Americans have one trusted place to turn when looking for the latest news, preparedness tips and other critical information that can help prevent the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of Americans.
