Local Congressman and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has responded to Congress's needed focus on rapid implementation of legislation and assessing immediate needs that arise from the crisis.
"Just last night President Trump and the Coronavirus Task Force provided a sobering path ahead for our country. Congress has taken extraordinary action to help America defeat the coronavirus. In the span of one month we have passed three major bills to provide the resources to win this fight.
"First, we passed an $8.3 billion emergency funding package focused on testing, treatment, and telehealth.
"Second, we passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which included extended sick and family leave for individuals forced to stay home as we aim to stop the spread. It also included free coronavirus testing.
"And just last week, we passed the largest relief package in American history -- $2.2 trillion in small business grants, direct payments to individuals and families, extended unemployment benefits, and $140 billion for hospitals and medical supply procurement.
"America is well positioned to take the disease head on through rapid implementation and assessing immediate needs that arise from the crisis.
"With an enemy we don't see or hear, we must match execution with intention. We must be ambassadors for our response efforts to ensure their implementation helps Americans as quickly as possible. Our work as representatives shouldn't end when the vote closes. We all must be accountable for how the legislation we pass ultimately impacts the lives of our fellow citizens.
"This should be a shared interest due to the collaborative and bipartisan approach from which the previous three phases were built upon.
"As the legislation from the first three phases is implemented, Republicans stand ready to work across the aisle to support the individuals and institutions that will need more help in the fight against the virus. But the American people cannot afford the distraction of continued attempts to force partisan objectives into our response. Offsetting the carbon footprint of airplanes, remaking our energy grid, or changing election laws, as Democrats have suggested, have nothing to do with our war against the disease.
"This isn't a time to attempt to reshape American life through the eyes of one political party. This is a crisis that demands a bipartisan commitment to focus and execute on behalf of every American affected. We will fight this disease together --- until we win, together."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
