Senator Baldwin, Colleagues Welcome Inclusion of Medical Supply Chain Legislation in HEROES Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), as well as U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO), Katie Porter (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Tim Ryan (D-OH), on Wednesday welcomed the inclusion of their language offered in the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act in the latest COVID-19 stimulus package,the HEROES Act:

“President Trump has a daily testing plan at the White House for himself, Vice President Pence and senior staff, but he still doesn’t have a national plan to do the widespread testing that we need across our country. The White House is still playing catch up on this public health crisis because the President has not unlocked the full power of the Defense Production Act to increase national production of testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment our health care workers need to protect themselves, take care of patients, and save lives,” said Senator Baldwin. “The HEROES Act is a strong step forward in providing the leadership we need to fix the chaos the White House has created in the medical supply chain. This legislation will provide much needed transparency and oversight of the supply chain and will help deliver the medical supplies our states desperately need to shut down this pandemic, safely reopen our economy and put people back to work.”

“President Trump’s failure to federalize the medical supply chain has created a Lord of the Flies environment that’s forced states and hospitals into a counterproductive competition for scare medical supplies. Because of this, health care workers are rationing their protective gear, we don’t have enough tests to safely reopen our economy, and the public health crisis of COVID-19 is still rampant. I’m glad that the HEROES Act includes key parts of our legislation to federalize the medical equipment supply chain. The Senate should take this legislation up as soon as the House passes it, so we can finally get the supplies and testing to those who need it the most,” said Senator Murphy.

“The crisis facing our nation requires bold and decisive leadership. The coronavirus has changed American life as we know it and the administration has failed to respond. That’s why my colleagues and I decided to act and get the medical supplies and resources to those most in need. I’m proud to see the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act included in The Heroes Act,” said Representative Crow.

“There is a role for the Administration to play in accelerating the flow of protective equipment our frontline medical workers desperately need, and to build the testing capacity we need to safely reopen sectors of our economy,” Representative Slotkin said. “We have to recognize that some supply issues have a national security importance, and this bill helps us codify what we all know experiencing COVID: that we must be able to provide certain medical supplies to the American people during a public health crisis. I’m glad to see the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act included in this package.”

“Our first responders and heath care workers are putting their lives on the line to protect our communities. We need to do our part and get them the supplies they need to do their jobs and keep themselves and their patients safe. We are continuing to see shortages of vital medical supplies in communities across the country, which will only grow the longer we wait. I’m proud our legislation was included in the Heroes Act to immediately increase production of vital resources like testing materials, masks, gloves, surgical gowns, and ventilators. We need to act now,” said Representative Ryan.

Last month, Baldwin, Murphy, Crow, Porter, Slotkin and Ryan announced the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act(S. 3627/ H.R.6711), which 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 supported this legislation, as well as AFL-CIO, SEIU, the National Nurses United, AFSCME, Get US PPE, and US PIRG.

An online version of this release is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.