Covid Preparedness, Response, and Effective Planning for Advanced Requirements By the Executive Branch Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), my friend, for yielding me the time.

I rise today in support of the COVID PREPARE Act, H.R. 7496.

As I stand here, our Nation stands at more than 7 million Americans confirmed infected with the SARS-Cov-2 virus and more than 206,000 American lives lost to COVID-19.

The scale and scope of this pandemic is unprecedented in American history, causing dual national crises: one of public health, the other of economic calamity.

Over the past 6 months, the pandemic has affected all of us, putting our loved ones at risk, overwhelming our healthcare systems, keeping our kids out of school, devastating our businesses, and pushing State and local governments to the brink.

Most experts agree that things are likely to get worse before they get better. According to Reuters, for the week ending September 27, total new cases are up 10 percent from the prior week. Daily new cases are again rising, with The New York Times reporting a 23 percent increase in average daily cases over 2 weeks ago. And The Times shows that more than half of U.S. States already have high rates of infection--at least 15 cases per 100,000 population--or are concerningly facing rising rates of infection.

So many people are suffering and looking to their government for relief. They needed help as they navigated the daunting challenges of spring and summer, and they want confidence that the Federal Government, our entire government, has a plan as we head into the fall and winter.

Every day I hear from constituents in my community, Illinois' 10th Congressional District, about how they are struggling to cope. I hear from parents juggling full-time jobs while schooling their children; from small business owners scraping to pay their bills and worried they may have to shut their doors forever; from healthcare workers forced to use and reuse their PPE, the personal protective equipment that keeps them safe--for up to an entire week because of ongoing shortages of supplies; from city mayors and village presidents forced into cutting essential services and laying off critical workers; from individuals of all ages and in all stages of life concerned about their future and the future of our country.

With the timeline for rolling out a safe and effective vaccine still unknown, it is imperative that the government develop and implement comprehensive strategies for beating back this virus and mitigating its effect on our healthcare system, on our economy, and our lives and our livelihoods.

This is not about politics. Congress and the administration must work together to provide immediate relief to those suffering now and get us on a path to full recovery as soon as possible.

We can't get there by ignoring our challenges or by wishing them away. We can only get to the other side of these crises with clear-eyed assessment and realistic, fact-based, science-driven solutions.

These are the ideas that lie behind the COVID PREPARE Act. This is bipartisan, commonsense legislation, crafted with my friend John Katko, to assure the American people that their Federal Government is fully prepared to address this ever-changing public health crisis and economic crisis.

This legislation would require Federal agencies to submit to Congress their plans for addressing surges of COVID-19, anticipating a potential increase in infections and even greater demands on our healthcare system and pressure on our economy.

Trying to anticipate the unforeseen is always a difficult task, but any number of our ills--from shortages of PPE, to nationwide testing strategies, to school reopening protocols--could be at least partially cured by thoughtful planning and careful preparation.

The COVID PREPARE Act will provide bipartisan oversight and full transparency in both the planning and execution of our national response.

The goal of this legislation is not to tell our Federal agencies what to do. Rather, this bill provides the American people transparency and confidence that their government is putting their needs and the needs of our Nation front and center; that the government is anticipating what resources and responses will be required in the immediate, middle, and long-term battle against COVID; and that we are taking the necessary steps at the Federal level to maximize our likelihood of national success.

In a time of such great uncertainty, any reassurances we can provide our country should and will be a welcome salve.

I will say it again: ending the pandemic should not, should not be a partisan issue. We need to move forward together, Democrats and Republicans. My bill seeks to do just that, and to take an aggressive approach to tackling this urgent public health crisis.

We can certainly hope for the best, but we must responsibly prepare for the worst.

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