[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night in California, an American was 
diagnosed with the first reported case of coronavirus unrelated to any 
travel to an infected area--a sign that coronavirus is here on our 
shores and we must act swiftly and strongly to contain its spread.
  Despite months of public warnings about the danger of this disease, 
the President was caught completely flat-footed by the coronavirus. And 
now, instead of quickly marshaling the resources of the Federal 
Government to respond to this health crisis, President Trump is intent 
on blaming everyone and everything instead of solving the problem. 
Instead of stepping up to the plate, he is belittling the urgency of 
this problem and telling people: Oh, it's not very much. The experts 
say the opposite.
  As for blame, the President is blaming the press for stoking concern 
about the virus; the President is blaming social media for magnifying 
those legitimate concerns; and the President, typically, is blaming 
Democrats too.
  But who fired the global health security team at the National 
Security Council and Department of Homeland Security and decided not to 
replace them? It wasn't the press. It wasn't the Democrats. It was 
President Trump.
  Who cut $35 million from the infectious disease rapid response fund? 
President Trump.
  Who cut $85 million from the emerging infectious disease account? 
President Trump.
  Who cut $120 million from public health preparedness and response 
programs? President Trump.
  And who just proposed cutting 16 percent of CDC's budget--the agency 
in charge of fighting these kinds of viruses? Not the Democrats, not 
the press--President Trump did that.
  Of course Democrats want to work quickly with the President to get a 
handle on this problem. Lives are at stake, but the President cannot 
belittle the danger. It is real; it is looming; it is serious.
  To hear the President last night, when most of his speech was not a 
sober speech calling America to unite and fight this virus--it was 
mainly name-calling, politics, blaming, and, in fact, belittling the 
problem and the danger.
  The President must stop trying to minimize the nature of the 
coronavirus threat. His attempts at spinning the facts are just not 
credible, and they are harmful to the Federal response.
  In order to prevent overreaction by the public, it is essential that 
the Federal officials--especially the President and Vice President--
level with the American people. Telling the American people the truth 
and then coming up with solutions to solve it is the way to calm people 
down--not simply saying ``Oh, don't worry about it'' and then spending 
time blaming others. That is not going to calm people down; that is 
going to make them more worried.
  So let's let the science and the facts guide us. The American people 
do not need or want uninformed opinions or spin from its leaders. They 
want the truth.
  Now, the first step the Congress must take is to ensure that the 
government has the resources to combat this deadly virus and keep 
Americans safe. I have made a request for $8.5 billion for this 
purpose--far more than the administration's request of $2.5 billion, 
only half of which is new funding. The rest of the President's proposed 
funding is stolen from other accounts.
  Any emergency funding supplemental the Congress approves must be 
entirely new funding, not stolen from other accounts, and include, at 
minimum, strong provisions that ensure, one, that the President cannot 
transfer these new funds to anything other than coronavirus and 
American and global preparedness to combat epidemics and infectious 
diseases; two, vaccines that are affordable and available to all who 
need them, not just to those who have a good deal of money; three, 
interest-free loans be made available for small businesses impacted by 
the outbreak; and four, State and local governments be reimbursed for 
costs incurred while assisting the Federal response to the corona 
outbreak.
  Democrats in both Chambers will work closely with Republicans to pass 
a supplemental appropriations package with these criteria in mind. But 
in the meantime, President Trump must get his act together: Stop 
blaming, stop belittling, roll up your sleeves, unite America, and 
start proposing real solutions.
  After months of dithering, after towering and dangerous incompetence, 
it is time for President Trump to roll up his sleeves and do the right 
thing.