Ahead of Pence Visit, Health Care Workers and Wisconsin Democrats Blast Administration for Prolonging Pandemic, Slowing Economic Recovery

(WISCONSIN) — Ahead of Mike Pence’s visit to Janesville, Congressman Mark Pocan and State Rep. Deb Kolste called out the Trump administration’s failures in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. By refusing to listen to science and contain the virus, Trump and the Republicans’ chaotic response has hurt Wisconsinites, deepened the pandemic’s economic toll, and prolonged  the spread of COVID-19. The failed economic policies of the Trump administration were already gutting Wisconsin’s industries. Now, because of their deliberate downplaying of the virus, pandemic, working families across the state are struggling and industries are collapsing.

Watch the full event here or read excerpts of what the speakers said below.

Congressman Mark Pocan: “Trump and Pence might be allergic to the truth, and the facts show the gross mismanagement of what they’ve done around COVID-19 that’s cost us tens of thousands more lives than had to be lost. And it’s not only their dismissal of the reality of what’s going on that we’re facing, but it’s what’s happening to our economy as well. Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites are still out of work because of COVID-19 and other issues. Frontline and essential workers still don’t have the PPE they need which is ridiculous this deep into a pandemic. The small businesses that power Wisconsin’s economy are still hurting, too many are either closing or reducing employment and are not sure how long this is going to last without any additional assistance from the federal government… Our factories have continued to lay off workers and our farms are struggling to figure out how to sell the products they have, all because of how COVID-19 has been handled by this administration… This is Donald Trump’s America.”

State Rep. Deb Kolste: “I’m an elected representative here, a business owner, I manage a small farm, and I am a medical technologist who’s been in medicine for five decades. The mere fact that nearly 200,000 people have died, and Pence comes here and flaunts their recognition that they think they’ve handled this is just an atrocity. If they had been honest in the first place we could have stopped this. This is just sad leadership… Governor Evers and Democrats have offered common sense solutions and yet the Republicans have followed Trump’s lead in ignoring this. Our health care system has been stretched thin… As a business owner myself, I run a farm, we’ve seen the struggle of our many friends in this time and with the workforce and how they’re having to struggle through all of this. No community is immune from COVID-19 — we’ve seen that everywhere across this state, whether it’s here in Janesville or cities or rural communities, the virus has reached everywhere because of Trump’s failures. Businesses will remain shuttered the longer we ignore the situation, and Pence coming to Janesville and ignoring these public health things that we’ve know forever, it’s just wrong, it’s immoral.”