[COVID-19 Crisis]
Hoyer: “President Trump is spending his days golfing and tweeting angrily about the election results instead of doing his job overseeing America’s COVID-19 response.”
Photo: YouTube
Photo: YouTube
As the current occupant of the White House is engaged in an attempt to suppress the votes of Americans who fired him, the COVID-19 crisis continues to cause chaos and misery to many Americans.
This week, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement after the United States reached 250,000 coronavirus deaths:
“More than a quarter-million Americans have now lost their lives to COVID-19. More than one American now dies of this disease every minute of the day. It is heartbreaking to think of the loss suffered by each of their families and communities; it is equally heartbreaking to think of how many of these deaths could have been prevented had the Trump Administration not failed to control the coronavirus outbreak earlier in the year. Now, having lost his re-election, President Trump is spending his days golfing and tweeting angrily about the election results instead of doing his job overseeing America’s COVID-19 response. He is also standing in the way of President-elect Biden’s transition briefings on COVID-19 and preventing Administration health officials from coordinating with his team, which could be detrimental to vaccine distribution plans. That is shameful and unacceptable.
“It is encouraging that President-elect Biden has been laser-focused on beating back COVID-19 starting on the first day of his presidency. He has already assembled a task force of public health experts, doctors, and scientists who will help prepare the Biden Administration to take the steps necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, save lives, and rebuild our economy safely. The first step, however, cannot wait until January. Congress and President Trump must work together to enact legislation to keep our businesses and workers afloat and to fund testing and contact tracing that make it safer to reopen. That must occur before the end of the year, and I call on the Republican-led Senate to take action, as the House has already done, to meet that responsibility.
“News of successes in two vaccine trials ought to raise our spirits. But we are not yet near the end of this crisis. Over the coming weeks months, we must do everything we can to keep preventing the spread of COVID-19 and save our hospitals from being overwhelmed. That means wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing hands, and staying home whenever possible. Together, we can and will overcome this challenge and save lives.”
