[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 194 (Monday, November 16, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5750-H5760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 2015
CORONAVIRUS' IMPACT ON MINORITY COMMUNITIES
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Casten of Illinois). Under the Speaker's
announced policy of January 3, 2019, the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Lee) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority
leader.
General Leave
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of our Special
Order tonight.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
[[Page H5751]]
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first, I thank the chair of our
Congressional Black Caucus. I thank Chairwoman Bass, who has helped us
organize this tonight, for her leadership of the Congressional Black
Caucus.
I join with my colleagues to speak on the impact of COVID-19, the
pandemic which has had an especially disparate impact on communities of
color.
First, again, let me thank Chairwoman Bass, Chairwoman Chu, and
Congressman Castro of the Tri-Caucus, as well as Representatives Kelly,
Haaland, and Davids, for working together to ensure that we address the
disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of
color--also, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
It is really very imperative that our strategy to crush COVID
intentionally includes provisions to support the specific needs of our
communities.
I also want to take a moment to thank Speaker Pelosi and Chairman
Pallone for negotiating some of the provisions of our COVID Community
Care Act, that is H.R. 8192, in our Heroes bill, which further
strengthens efforts to engage medically underserved communities in the
latest version, again, of the Heroes bill.
I thank Chairman Scott and, of course, our subcommittee chair, Rosa
DeLauro, for their support, their input, and their assistance in
getting this bill, the COVID Community Care Act, really very targeted,
very focused, and something that all of us could support as a Tri-
Caucus, also--and, of course, Speaker Pelosi, again, for her steadfast
understanding and support for this issue.
Now, millions of people have suffered incomprehensible grief and
hardship due to the COVID pandemic. Just in the United States, we now
have over 10.3 million cases of COVID-19 and over 240,000 deaths. That
is mind-boggling.
We are here today to insist that any coronavirus response addresses
the needs of people of color. This is because the impacts of the
pandemic and the economic fallout have had a disproportionate impact on
African Americans, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian Pacific Islander, and
immigrant communities. We have witnessed the horrific result of how
longstanding inequities stemming from structural racism has exacerbated
COVID's threats to people of color.
Black people are dying at more than twice the rate of White people in
the United States. Indigenous and Latinx people are both 50 percent
more likely to die from COVID than White Americans. Between January and
July, the AAPI death rate rose 35 percent compared to an increase of 9
percent for White Americans.
The Federal Government must address the vicious cycle of disparities
that drive these unequal impacts on communities of color, especially
during the COVID-19 crisis. That is why we introduced, together, H.R.
8192, the COVID Community Care Act, legislation to ensure that any
effort to fight the pandemic engages local communities as partners in
crushing the virus.
This bill, supported by our Tri-Caucus colleagues, ensures that any
testing and tracing efforts engage communities of color where they live
with trusted messengers who speak their language and know their unique
challenges.
Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Pallone worked with us to add language to
Chairman Pallone's $75 billion CONTACT plan. This is included in the
revised version of the Heroes Act passed October 1, which will further
strengthen efforts to engage communities of color.
The strengthened CONTACT plan mandates that community-based
organizations and nonprofits in medically underserved communities play
an important role to reach those communities that public health
agencies have difficulty engaging. It ensures the people hired to
conduct the outreach have experience and relationships with people
living in the communities that they serve.
Turning a blind eye to the American people's desperate need for
culturally rooted contact tracing and testing will result in increased
deaths and illnesses that we could have prevented.
We must build a relief package that addresses the needs of millions,
especially Black and Brown people, who are suffering disproportionately
from this virus.
Mr. Speaker, we thank our Speaker for her persistence, leadership,
and fighting spirit to ensure that lawmakers acknowledge and respond to
the racial and ethnic disparities that have plagued our Nation for
centuries.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia), who
played an important role in making sure that the Latinx community and
all the Hispanic issues, as it relates to COVID, were included as a
part of this bill.
Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lee and the
caucuses involved for putting this Special Order together.
Today in America, there is not one State that has the pandemic under
control. My own State of Texas became the first State to surpass 1
million cases.
Let me repeat that: 1 million cases.
These cases represent many of our neighbors, our friends, and our own
family. I personally have self-quarantined once and have already been
tested four times for different times I have been exposed to someone
with the virus.
Thank God all tests have come back positive--I am sorry, negative. I
meant to say, ``not come back positive.'' Little misspeaking there.
Mr. Speaker, this pandemic is affecting everyone, but it is not
affecting everyone in the same way. Black and Latino communities are
bearing the weight of this pandemic. While Black and Latino people are
being hospitalized and dying at higher rates than White people, they
are also the ones most likely to be working jobs that put them more at
risk.
They have always been essential workers. Now more than ever, this is
sadly more true. They are meatpacking workers, farmworkers, sanitation
workers, custodians, restaurant workers, grocery clerks, postal
workers, police officers, firefighters, longshoremen. These aren't jobs
you can do from home. If you don't show up, you just don't get paid.
Black and Latino families have had to go into work even when it meant
they may get sick. And many of them have gotten sick. Even worse, many
infected a loved one with the virus.
America depends on these workers to put food on our tables and keep
us safe. Because our leaders didn't take any steps to prepare us for
this pandemic, we can't even offer the protective gear needed to keep
essential frontline workers safe.
So while we are asking these communities to go to work every day
without the proper protections, we also know that Latino and Black
Americans are more likely to have health conditions, like asthma and
diabetes, that make the virus even more dangerous.
Nationwide, Latinos make up 55 percent of the COVID cases and 24
percent of the overall deaths. Yet, we are only 18.5 percent of the
total U.S. population. In Texas, Latinos are about 40 percent of the
population, but we are nearly 55 percent of the deaths--more than half,
Mr. Speaker. In Houston, sadly, Latinos account for 54 percent of the
deaths caused by this virus--again, more than half.
My district, which is nearly 80 percent Latino, was one of the
hardest hit areas in the Houston region. But despite these numbers,
many of my constituents are still scared of getting tested or even
seeing the doctor. Many don't have health insurance. Others don't trust
our healthcare system. Many more are undocumented and fear deportation.
Mr. Speaker, now, I am optimistic about the future, given some of the
news about vaccine trials. However, we must make sure, once we have a
safe and effective vaccine, that it is distributed fairly and equitably
and that no one is left behind.
We do not need to repeat the disparate mistakes of the past. As
elected officials, we must work together to keep all of our
constituents safe.
Right now, with the virus rapidly spreading, we are losing precious
time if we don't act. People will get sick, and even more people will
die, if we wait any longer.
Legislation like the Heroes Act provides protections that working
families and frontline workers need now. It would provide rent relief
for families who are afraid of losing their homes. It would help our
schools keep kids healthy and safe for in-person learning.
[[Page H5752]]
It would give local and State governments much-needed relief to retain
frontline workers on payroll. It would give hardworking families
another stimulus check. It would also reinstate the supplemental weekly
$600 in unemployment benefits, a lifeline that helped many families
stay afloat.
Lastly, we need to earn the trust of these communities and let them
know that, yes, they are a part of us. People of color know and must
know that we are working for them. We cannot save the economy if we
don't save people first.
Saving many lives must be our top priority. It will take all of us to
crush this virus, but I know that we will get together to make sure
that we are all working together to get past this pandemic, and if we
do, it will be for all of us. Todos juntos.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for this Special Order.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Garcia very
much for her input in helping to write the COVID Community Care Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms.
DeLauro), my good friend, the chair of the Subcommittee on Labor,
Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies of the House
Appropriations Committee.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding to me
this evening and being here with other colleagues because we know, and
we have said over and over again, that we face public health and
economic crises unlike any that our country has seen in a generation.
More than 245,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. Tens of millions
are out of work. And we know how communities of color have suffered
acutely and disproportionately.
While we have known about some of these issues in the past, about the
inequities in our healthcare system, in our economy, this virus has
exposed and shone a light on the depths of the injustices and
inequities that exist for communities of color. While we need to fight
the virus, we need to fight the virus of injustice.
In my home State of Connecticut, as of last Thursday, Black people
accounted for more than 14.5 percent of Connecticut's COVID-related
deaths when they are just 12 percent of the population.
Mr. Speaker, 18 percent of COVID cases are Hispanic, outpacing the 17
percent they make up of our State's population.
Yet, this data is not perfect, which is why I have been so proud to
work with my friend and my colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, to
require the Health and Human Services agency and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention to provide Congress with the data on
which communities are bearing the worst impacts so that we can make
sure that testing--once we have an administration that takes testing
strategy seriously--is focused on those communities and that they get
the resources they need going forward.
My colleague from California, Congresswoman Lee, has been
indefatigable in questioning the issue of the data that we have on
communities of color, and she did this long before we probably could
spell ``coronavirus.'' To be frank, it is frustrating that we even had
to put this requirement into law.
The CDC is complying with the reporting, but we keep a vigilant eye
on that information. We have more work to do to ensure that we have
complete data.
Through November 12, 47 percent of cases had unknown race and
ethnicity in the CDC's surveillance system. That is just not good
enough. This moment demands the boldest possible efforts to secure
affordable healthcare, to address the deep racial disparities exposed
by this virus, to help families.
I am proud to chair this subcommittee, which has been central to our
response to this pandemic and the disparities that it has exposed.
Together, my colleagues on the committee and on this subcommittee, we
have appropriated $280 billion in emergency funding for education, for
health, for working people throughout the pandemic. Through the good
offices of my colleagues, Congresswoman Lee and Congresswoman Bass, we
inserted language that would focus on the issue of disparities and how
we address them. We could add $400 million in the latest iteration of
The Heroes Act.
{time} 2030
Yet the United States Senate has refused to do anything to help
struggling Americans and get us to a place where we can test everyone,
that we can do contact tracing, and that we can provide treatment.
We know more is needed. So, as I mentioned, the House has passed two
additional relief packages, and we looked at boosting SNAP benefits by
15 percent; expanding access to paid leave and paid sick days; and
expanding and improving the child tax credit for one-third of our
children, which includes half of Black and Hispanic children, who are
currently left behind because their families earn too little. If we do
not address the virus, we will not be able to do anything about turning
our economy around.
Let me say a thank-you to Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who has been a
tireless champion for communities of color, for organizing this Special
Order. She and I, along with others, are committed to bringing to bear
the full weight of the Federal Government for the communities of color,
not only in my district, but around the country, because together we
can and we must do better. People's lives are depending on it.
We know what we need to do to save lives. It is incomprehensible that
we can't get to a protocol which allows us to save people's lives and
those in communities of color, which are affected the most.
Ms. LEE of California. Thank you, Chairwoman DeLauro, for your
statement and for reminding us that we have to address the health and
economic impacts at the same time. One does not supersede the other.
Thank you for helping us move our COVID Community Care Act forward with
your leadership on the subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy
Chu), the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus,
someone who contributed to crafting our COVID Community Care Act but
also whom I have had the pleasure to serve with as co-chair of the
Healthcare Task Force for CAPAC, a true leader on so many issues.
Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, as chair of the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am here to say that we
have reached another terrible milestone. Just yesterday, the number of
COVID-19 cases in our country surpassed 11 million. One million of
those cases came in just the last week alone.
The coronavirus is spreading at a rapid rate, and while hospitals and
healthcare providers in all 50 States are overwhelmed, there is still
no plan to contain it. The failure to contain the coronavirus has let
it spread within every State and community.
Almost one-third of Americans know someone who has died from COVID-
19, and yet we are still hearing false claims, including from some of
my colleagues on the other side of this Chamber, that masks don't work
and that gathering in large groups indoors is safe.
The message that we can or should live with this virus is a denial of
the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are sick or who have died
from this virus already, and it is condemning thousands more to die as
well.
But not everyone is impacted equally. While all of us are susceptible
to the virus, communities of color have been disproportionately
impacted by the Trump administration's inaction. Now that we know more
about this virus, we can see who is paying more for it.
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have seen cases surge in their
communities and continue to face some of the highest COVID-19 infection
and mortality rates out of any of the racial groups in several States,
including in my own State of California.
And new data shows that Asian Americans are also dying from COVID-19
at a disproportionate rate, with deaths in the Asian-American community
nationwide increasing by 35 percent this year compared with the average
over the last 5 years. This is compared to a 9 percent increase in
deaths for White Americans.
For other communities of color, there are equally high rates: for
[[Page H5753]]
Blacks, a 31 percent increase compared to 5 years ago; 44 percent for
Hispanics; and a 22 percent increase for Native Americans.
Downplaying this virus is also downplaying the reality of healthcare
inequality and minority health disparities in this country. That is why
we crafted an urgently needed COVID-19 response bill: to make us sure
we can combat the disproportionate effects of coronavirus on
communities of color.
That is precisely what the House did in May, with the passage of The
Heroes Act, and again in October, with the updated Heroes Act, which
ensured that we collect disaggregated race and ethnicity data related
to COVID-19 and that we restore Medicaid coverage for citizens of the
Freely Associated States of the Pacific islands and include provisions
like Congressmember Barbara Lee's COVID-19 Community Care Act.
It is so important because it would provide targeted COVID-19
testing, treatment, and contact tracing for communities of color that
have been devastated by the pandemic. What is so crucial is that it
would include culturally and linguistically competent outreach for
contact tracing that is so critical to the AAPI community.
Communities of color cannot wait any longer. Americans cannot wait
any longer. We need the outgoing President and Republicans in Congress
to stop playing games with American lives. We can't ignore the fact
that Americans are dying and the economy is struggling because of a
refusal to take this virus seriously. It is time to face facts and work
together to pass a coronavirus relief package now.
Ms. LEE of California. Thank you very much, Chairwoman Chu, and thank
you for being with us tonight, but also for your consistently sounding
the alarm to all of us about the necessity for culturally and
linguistically appropriate services, testing, contact tracing, as well
as the importance of disaggregating the data based on race and
ethnicity. Thank you for input into helping to write this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly),
who is the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus' Health Braintrust,
someone who is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and
also a member of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National
Security and Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly has helped put together this bill and
helped make sure that we put provisions in for data collection and all
of the information that we know we need to be able to target these
resources.
So thank you, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, for being here tonight and
for helping us.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to challenge this
Congress to act to end the shocking health disparities that COVID-19
has put on display. To date, nearly 250,000 Americans have lost their
lives to COVID-19 and more than 10 million have been infected. And
these numbers are still rising.
Shocking, but not surprisingly, a disproportionate number, as you
have heard, of those who fought and those who fought and lost battles
with COVID-19 have been people of color. Once again, another public
health crisis has taken an oversized toll on Black Americans, Latinx
Americans, Asian and Pacific Americans, and Native Americans.
COVID-19 is simply the latest in a long list of diseases, including
cancer, addiction, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, diabetes,
cardiovascular conditions, and on and on and on, with a
disproportionate impact on communities of color.
Why does this continue to be the case in America, the greatest,
richest, most powerful country in the history of our world?
The answer is simple: health disparities.
In America, despite all of our technology and pledges to equity, the
ZIP Code in which you are born is nearly inescapable as a determinant
of your life, your health, and, yes, even your death.
In Chicago, part of my district, life expectancy varies up to 30
years by neighborhood. The pattern is the same across most American
communities.
But what are the social determinants of health, or, as I like to say,
the social determinants of life?
In short, they are all of the nonmedical factors that impact your
health, the things you don't necessarily see a doctor for, such as not
having ample fresh food and vegetables in your diet because there
aren't any grocery stores in your community; missing routine preventive
care, such as cancer screenings, because seeing the doctor means
getting up at 4 a.m., taking two buses, and missing a day of work or
school.
It means worrying about manganese or lead poisoning in the air you
breathe, the water you drink, or the playground where your child plays.
It means dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression from housing
instability on top of a recession and pandemic.
All of these factors decide our lives, our health, and, tragically,
again, our death. So many of these factors are out of one's individual
control, including environmental factors, the location of medical
facilities, discriminatory housing policy, and discrimination and so
forth.
We all know these factors have been with us for a long time. They
have been undermining our health and the health of generations of
Americans for centuries.
As we work on these issues, I am continuously reminded of a quote
from Dr. King: ``Of all of the forms of inequality, injustice in
healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.''
Despite 70 years passing and amazing technological and societal
advancement since he spoke these words, injustice in healthcare, of all
of the forms of inequality, still remains the most shocking and
inhumane.
Right now, we are seeing parallel COVID-19 pandemics: one in
wealthier, whiter communities, and a much harsher one in vulnerable
communities of color.
But this is America. There shouldn't be a two-tiered system, because
when it comes to public health, we are all in this together.
The only solution is to root out health disparities at their source.
We must end systemic racism and a lack of opportunities for low-income
and minority communities.
To address these issues in healthcare, my colleague and mentor,
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, has introduced the COVID Community Care Act,
H.R. 8192. This legislation, which I am proud to support and my office
helped develop, will provide grants for community-based organizations
and nonprofits to conduct testing, tracing, and outreach activities in
communities.
Given the number and rates of COVID-19, we know that these resources
are most urgently needed in communities of color. I believe this
legislation is central to making health equity a cornerstone of our
Nation's immediate pandemic response. I am proud to be an original
cosponsor of this important and immediate-acting legislation.
Additionally, I have introduced the Ending Health Disparities During
COVID-19 Act, H.R. 8200, which provides a sweeping approach to
addressing the widening health disparities from COVID-19. It tackles
the immediate-term needs of testing, tracing, and public awareness from
COVID-19.
But just as crucially, the bill makes long-term investments to build
a stronger system to reduce and eliminate health inequities in the
future via investments in the social determinants of health,
technology, research, workforce diversity, and community health centers
and workers.
Lastly, H.R. 8200 makes our government accountable for progress on
health equity by creating a Federal task force with oversight over
health disparities during COVID-19 and beyond and protects the Office
of Minority Health. That is a long list to do, but it is all
desperately needed.
I truly feel that this long-term approach, combined with strict
accountability for health disparities, is exactly what this moment
calls for. For the first time, many Americans are waking up to the
reality faced by communities of color, a reality that the Tri-Caucus
and our fellow Members of Congress, such as champions like
Representative Barbara Lee, are working to address.
We need to harness this rightful outrage and catalyze it into action.
We need to make this the last pandemic to have a disproportionate
impact on any
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American community, because the fact is Americans deserve a public
health system that works for all Americans. We deserve to live in one
America, not an unequal America with worse health outcomes for Black
and Brown people.
We all deserve healthcare because healthcare is a human right, yet it
is not easily won. It must be fought for. As Frederick Douglass taught
us: ``Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it
never will.'' The only path forward is for us to demand it.
{time} 2045
We demand action to end health disparities once and for all. We must
do this by passing the COVID Community Care Act, H.R. 8192; and Ending
Health Disparities during the COVID-19 Act, H.R. 8200.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kelly for
laying out actually what the social determinants of healthcare are.
Oftentimes, we see that as separate from healthcare, but you laid it
out perfectly, so thank you for educating us tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee),
who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, but also is a member of the
Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Native American
Caucus. I know Congresswoman Jackson Lee's district in Texas is ravaged
by this COVID pandemic, so I want to thank her for helping us with our
COVID Community Care Act and for being here tonight.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank very much the distinguished
manager, the honorable Barbara Lee. I am most grateful for her yielding
to me. Also, let me acknowledge the very important work that she has
done over the years in disparities and racial equity. I thank her for
being my partner in H.R. 40, and me her partner in H. Res. 100, that
really also speaks to the pain and the issues of disparities.
We look forward to reconciliation and we look forward to repair with
those two initiatives. Let me also acknowledge the chair of the
Congressional Black Caucus for gathering us all together, and my
colleagues that are here, and my colleague that has just joined us,
Congresswoman Adams.
Let me try to address where we are nationwide and how disparities
weaves its way into this phenomenon of the transfer of power--the
peaceful transfer of power--and how the President's status of the
President-elect and Vice President-elect is interwoven in how to best
respond to one of the disparities in healthcare, and that is COVID-19.
Mr. Speaker, first to take note of the fact that the stability of the
United States electoral system is remarkable, it first involved the
election of 1800, which marked the first time in United States history
that power was transferred. The second was the 1876 election, which the
President was chosen, who won neither the absolute majority popular
vote nor the necessary electoral votes, but it was resolved by the
infamous Hayes-Tilden Compromise. The third instance involved the 2000
election, which sought the Supreme Court effectively deciding the
Presidency. But in each of those moments there was an end. In each of
those moments there was a transfer of power.
We find ourselves now in a quandary. Believe it or not, there are
people who are on ventilators. There are people in El Paso and Dallas
who are in hospitals, who are being negatively impacted by the idea of
the lack of peaceful engagement, specifically because the President-
elect and Vice President-elect definitively need to be able to secure
information to have their COVID-19 task force speak with the White
House task force to understand prospectively how vaccines will be
transferred or implemented throughout the Nation.
So as people are languishing on hospital beds, as loved ones are
saying goodbye over telephones, we have this inability to transfer
power. Our history has shown the transfer of power in the Nation. It
was designed as a benefit. It can be harmed when the transition is not
smooth and transparent, which can be invariably attributed to one or
more of the following reasons.
The outgoing President is still engaged in the building of his or her
legacy in the final months of the administration; two, there are sharp
differences in philosophy or style between the outgoing and incoming
administration; or the current or future President actively makes
trouble for his or her successor.
In this timeframe, I hope my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats,
will find a way, as we come back to Washington, to be able to look to
the transition of Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, for
example, and speak to the idea of how this should go; or maybe even
from Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Nixon, opposite parties, but yet
they found a way to come together in the wake of the importance of the
Constitution and democracy.
Why would I start a health disparities discussion on the transfer of
power?
As I indicated, it is very important for the work that is going to be
part of containing COVID-19 to really start now, to really start now
with a new attitude about wearing masks, socially distance, washing
your hands, and yes, testing, testing, testing.
That is what I have found as a chair of the bipartisan Congressional
COVID Task Force where we have been working on doing the work of
implementing and talking about the diagnostic testing and all its
gradations over the past couple of months.
Our first testing site in Houston was opened on March 19. We have
opened 41 test sites. The most recent was this past Saturday. We open
the 42nd on this coming Saturday. The question in disparities is very,
very real. The pandemics dealing with racial disparities indicates that
there are 74 Black or African-American persons out of 100,000 impacted
by COVID; Alaska Native and American Indian, 40; Hispanic or Latino,
40; Asian, 31; White, 30; Native Hawaiian, 29; others, 29.
We can see that there are large numbers of African Americans,
Hispanic, and American Indian. We just heard that the Navajo community
will be shutting down for a period of time. That is how devastating
COVID-19 is. That is how much the disparities in healthcare are
evident.
Let me share with you this question of disparities and underlying
conditions. Those are numbers of the number of deaths. So the number of
deaths is much higher among African Americans and Hispanics.
Why?
Thirty percent more likely to die of CVD--that is cardiovascular
disease--that is Black Americans. Latin Americans, 40 percent more
likely to die from stroke. And then it goes on. Two times as likely to
die as an infant, two times more likely to die of asthma, three times
more likely to develop ESRD, two times more likely to die from prostate
cancer, two times on cervical cancer, three times in pregnancy. There
is still a high level of maternal mortality among African Americans.
As it relates to Latin Americans and Hispanics, two times more likely
to die of liver cancer, two times more likely to die of asthma, 1.7
more times to have diabetes, and two times more likely to die of HIV-
AIDS. Which is why we see this increasing number of those on that
ethnic backgrounds, African Americans, Hispanics and, of course, Native
Americans and Alaskans, because of the underlying conditions and the
lack of access to healthcare.
We are on this floor today because, as members of the Tri-Caucus, we
have made it our constructive business, starting from the Affordable
Care Act, to deal with the question of health disparities. As a Member
of Congress many years back, I authored legislation to create an Office
of Health Disparities in the Health and Human Services Department,
knowing that there was a lack of recognition of different clinicals
that African Americans were not participating in, men and women.
Hispanic men and women were not participating in those as well.
In the course of the work that we are doing right now, we are seeing
a high number of deaths. Texas hit 1 million cases on November 6. We
were the first State to hit 1 million cases. Now, in Dallas and El
Paso, my sister cities, my colleagues who are there working very hard,
our hospitals are being oversaturated. The same thing that happened to
Houston, Texas, in July of 2020.
And so it is crucial to do three things: One, we must pass the Heroes
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Act. We are desperate for that money in testing, desperate for PPPs,
desperate for PPEs. We are now running out of PPEs in some of these
saturated towns. We are desperate, as I said, for testing. We are
desperate for economic dollars that are needed.
Every testing site that I have had--most of them, let me clarify
that, we have had full distribution by our Houston Food Bank, because
people need food. And as evidenced with lines in my sister State, just
a day or two ago in Los Angeles, we saw cars and cars and cars of
individuals recognizing that testing was crucial.
I believe that we cannot ignore anymore. There must be cooperation
with our Republican friends, I will call them, to deal with providing
this financial relief to our cities and to all of our constituents who
are desperately in need. We must acknowledge the health disparities. It
is important both in the White House task force, we know that it is
happening in the COVID task force under the President-elect and Vice
President-elect, that health disparities can kill.
And we can see that the lack of a transition of power right at this
time, the continued denial of who has been the victor, so that the
General Services Administration can stop violating the administrative
procedure code in not allowing the resources necessary for the team
that is now in place looking to transition to power with the existing
Presidency being stopped, not by law, not by any determination that you
did not meet the standard of victory in terms of the Electoral College,
but by an individual administrator who indicates that they refuse to
certify and to allow that transfer of funds for them to work on.
So I thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to present today, to speak
both on the disparities and the needs for response, but also on the
devastating impact of COVID-19 impacting now several States.
Mr. Speaker, I want to close on this. I want to say it to America. We
are coming on our holidays, and many different faiths celebrate their
holidays during this time, from Thanksgiving to, in the Christian
faith, Christmas, but many different faiths. I am not here to judge how
and which faith will be celebrating this very special time of the year.
We beg of you, on the basis of science, to realize that because someone
is your family member does not mean that they are immune or that they
cannot transfer COVID to you, or they are not asymptomatic. My message
is that we must test, test, test.
Today, I had a press conference in Houston, and I want to read these
words as I close. I would encourage all cities and States to follow
what was utilized in Los Angeles. It was effective. And that is a
public safety alert. A public safety alert that is simple, that goes
out to the text of all citizens.
COVID-19 cases are increasing. Please wear a mask and social
distance. Get tested if you have symptoms or might have been exposed. I
would add to that, get tested because you may be asymptomatic. That
simple note to the text of people in that State allowed thousands of
individuals to see the importance of getting tested, and they went to
the testing sites. That is going to help contain and stop the community
spread.
So my message is, as you get into Thanksgiving, please do your events
outside. If you are inside, doing them 10 or less. Please ask all of
your relatives and loved ones to get tested, tested, tested, so that we
can contain this preceding the vaccine, which we know is coming, but is
not coming as soon as we would like.
We also know that we will be addressing the question of
implementation and distribution as it relates to people of color and
those who suffer disparities, along with the elderly and those
underlying conditions.
You will not get a vaccine tomorrow. While we are waiting for that
process, we need to do what is right. And that is to continue to social
distance, wearing the mask and getting tested.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her kindness and her
leadership.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to join my colleagues during this Special
Order to shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color.
I want to recognize and thank Congresswoman Karen Bass and the
Congressional Black Caucus for hosting this hour, so that we may not
only speak about the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on
communities of color but also call upon the federal government to
address these devastating inequities.
Mr. Speaker, before addressing the devastating impact of the COVID-19
crisis on communities of color, I wish to speak briefly on the
important subject of presidential transitions and the peaceful transfer
of power for which the United States is justly celebrated around the
world.
The stability of the United States electoral system is remarkable,
but this does not mean it has never been tested; it has--three times--
and weathered each crisis.
The first involved the election of 1800, which marked the first time
in United States history that power had transferred peacefully between
political parties.
The second involved the 1876 election, in which a president was
chosen who won neither the absolute majority popular vote nor the
necessary number of electoral votes and was resolved by the infamous
`Hayes-Tilden Compromise,' which effectively ended Reconstruction.
The third instance involved the 2000 election which saw the Supreme
Court effectively decide the presidency by ordering the cessation of
ballot counting in the state of Florida.
Mr. Speaker, what enabled the country to weather these crises is that
all parties, including the victor and the vanquished, understood and
accepted the primacy of the rule of law and the bedrock democratic
value that power is only legitimately conveyed by the people through
their votes and is held in trust and to be used exclusively to protect
and advance the national interest.
A peaceful transfer of power implies also a smooth and seamless
transition from outgoing administration to the incoming one, which has
usually but not always been the case.
Our history has shown how the transfer of power, and the nation it
was designed to benefit, can be harmed when the transition is not
smooth and transparent, which can invariably be attributed to one or
more of the following reasons: (1) the outgoing president is still
engaged in the business of building his or her legacy in the final
months of the administration; (2) there are sharp differences in
philosophy or style between the outgoing and incoming administrations;
or (3) the current or future president actively makes trouble for his
successor or predecessor.
The transition between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the newly
elected John F. Kennedy is an example of the dangers of presidential
legacy building post-election because Eisenhower authorized covert
programs for regime change in what is today the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, in the Dominican Republic, and, most famously, against Fidel
Castro's Cuba but none of these programs were completed by the time
Kennedy took the oath of office.
The second form of trouble can come from the soon-to-be-powerful
people on the receiving end of a transition, as when incoming President
George W. Bush failed to pay due heed to the warnings received from
then President Bill Clinton about the dangers of Osama Bin Laden and Al
Qaeda.
But far the most serious harm to be avoided stems from the failure of
the outgoing administration to prioritize and expedite the sharing of
vital information and resources with the incoming administration.
This is the danger we currently face in the aftermath of President-
elect Biden's resounding victory in the Electoral College and the
popular vote.
Mr. Speaker, the federal government is perhaps the most complex
organization in the world because it involves a $5 trillion-plus
budget, four million person workforce, including the military and
reservists, who are stationed all over the globe, and two million
career civil servants in hundreds of operating units of the Executive
Branch, not to mention the 4,000 political appointments made by the
President.
So, a presidential transition of this enterprise is a massive
operation that requires a lot of work, time, and cooperation in three
important areas.
The first is access to the agencies themselves--there are over 100
operating in the government--and the incoming team needs to understand
what's happening inside them because each and every one of them have
different urgent issues that they are addressing and deciding,
including for example, the approval and distribution of any vaccine for
COVID-19 and dealing with the economic damage caused by the pandemic.
The second area is the processing of personnel, 1,200 of whom require
Senate confirmation and who will need security clearances and financial
agreements with the Office of Government Ethics to make sure there are
no conflicts.
Third, the incoming President must have access to the President's
Daily Brief, to ensure it has awareness and understanding of the most
current threats and challenges facing our nation.
[[Page H5756]]
The final area is providing funding needed to pay the salaries and
expenses of the incoming administration's transition personnel.
I call upon the current President to honor his oath of office to
defend, protect, and preserve the Constitution and America's sacred
tradition of peaceful transfers of power and begin the full and
seamless transition to the Biden Administration.
Turning to the immediate subject at hand, we must recognize the
impact of COVID-19 on people of color and its devastating consequences
on the communities we represent.
As a Founding Member of the Bipartisan Congressional Coronavirus Task
Force, I call upon my fellow Members of Congress to not only recognize
the disproportionate impact of this virus on communities of color but
also to come together to redress this reality.
I first saw news reports on the rapid spread of the coronavirus in
early January.
As the numbers of infected increased, I knew this was not something
to be taken lightly, so I began to monitor the situation more closely.
On February 10, 2020, I held the first press conference on the issue
of the novel coronavirus at Houston Intercontinental Airport, where I
was joined by public health officials, local unions, and advocates to
raise awareness regarding the virus, the implications it might have for
travel to the United States from China, and the need to combat early
signs of discrimination targeting Asian businesses in the United
States.
From the onset of this pandemic, I have actively worked to address
the negative and unequal affects of this disease on people of color.
I have facilitated the opening of 41 COVID-19 testing sites, which
have collectively provided over 200,000 tests to residents in Harris
County, one of the most diverse counties in the state of Texas.
Across the United States, Black individuals comprise thirteen percent
of the population.
Yet, we experience a higher rate of incarceration and health
disparities, are more vulnerable to economic slowdowns, and are even
more likely to get COVID-19 and face significantly worse health
outcomes from the disease.
Disparities tell the story of living while Black in America, and
there are disparities in every aspect of African American life and
death.
Right now, Black people are dying at 2.2 times the rate and Latinx
people at two times the rate of white people.
Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native people are 5.3 times more
likely than white people to be hospitalized due to COVID-19.
My district of Harris County has reported over 175,000 total cases of
coronavirus, of which over 17,300 identify as Black and over 37,700
identify as Hispanic or Latinx.
From a high prevalence of preexisting conditions to limited
employment opportunities to additional structural inequities that are
the result of implicit bias and racial discrimination, there are
several factors at play for why communities of color are
disproportionately affected by the coronavirus,
For example, the African American community is known to be highly
affected by preexisting conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease,
hypertension, lung disease, and obesity.
With these underlying health conditions, many African Americans
suffer from an impaired immune system, thereby dramatically increasing
the risk of being infected with and the fatality of the coronavirus.
Limited employment opportunities also play a role in understanding
why people of color are most affected by this disease.
According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Black
workers make up about one in nine workers overall, but they represent
about one in six front-line-industry workers, further increasing the
disproportionate likelihood of being exposed to and contracting the
virus.
These disparities cannot be separated from the history of enslavement
of Black people and subsequent periods of segregation, racialized
violence, pervasive racial discrimination and their ongoing impacts.
With that in mind, I urge my colleagues to support my bill, H.R. 40,
the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-
Americans Act, as it is the most comprehensive legislative solution to
begin repairing the legacy of systemic racism and accounting for the
harms of past and present.
Mr. Speaker, it is abundantly clear that people across the United
States are struggling in the face of this epidemic.
As Members of Congress, we have a duty to our constituents to address
this vicious cycle of socioeconomic disparities that further the
inequities facing communities of color, especially during the COVID-19
crisis.
We must come together to ensure that COVID-19 relief extends to all
members of our communities.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Texas for using this opportunity to deliver a very powerful public
health message also. I also would just note a personal privilege. I was
born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and my heart goes out to all of
those who are suffering from this terrible deadly pandemic.
Mr. Speaker, I want to salute our colleague, Congresswoman Veronica
Escobar, for being such a tremendous leader in El Paso in trying to
help on the ground with taking care of people and preventing the
transition of the virus.
I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee again.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms.
Adams), a member of the Committee on Education and Labor, whose mission
in life, I think, is to make sure that our young people are educated
and receive the best quality education through the Historically Black
Colleges and Universities, and at the same time make sure that their
health and safety is a top priority issue for their health and their
safety.
{time} 2100
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for
her leadership. I thank, as well, the Chair of the Congressional Black
Caucus for getting us together tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the founder and co-chair of the Black
Maternal Health Caucus.
I want to take this time to speak briefly about the impact of COVID-
19 on the Black community, communities of color, and pregnant women.
For the past 8 months, our country has been battling this incredibly
deadly virus. It is a national public health crisis unlike any we have
experienced. And it has highlighted the existing racial health
disparities that our communities were already facing.
The data does not lie. We know that people of color are experiencing
significantly higher rates of infections and deaths compared to White
individuals.
Black people are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as
White people, and the mortality rate for Native Americans is nearly two
times that of White persons.
Researchers have also found that Black and Hispanic people are nearly
three times as likely to contract COVID-19 and nearly two times as
likely to die from COVID-19.
This month, a CDC morbidity and mortality weekly report found that
pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Since January 22, more than 38,000 pregnant women have been diagnosed
with COVID-19 in the United States, of which 51 have died.
The study found that pregnant women are more likely to be admitted to
the intensive care unit, receive invasive ventilation, and are at
increased risk of death compared to White, nonpregnant women.
But much remains unknown.
But what we do know is that before the pandemic Black and Brown
mothers were already dying at alarming and unacceptable rates.
In particular, Black women from all walks of life were three and four
times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than
White women.
According to the CDC data, Latina women account for nearly 50 percent
of COVID-19 cases among pregnant women.
And these numbers indicate the devastating effects of the pandemic on
the minority community.
A recent study also showed that Black and Latina women in
Philadelphia who are pregnant were five times more likely to be exposed
to the new coronavirus than White pregnant women.
Physicians in Washington, DC, said that anecdotally they were also
seeing similar patterns, according to an August report in the
Washington Post.
As Congresswoman Lee and I have continued to say since the start of
the pandemic, we are facing a crisis within a crisis. And that is why I
have been working closely with healthcare providers, stakeholders, to
provide a comprehensive plan for eliminating these racial health
disparities, especially during the pandemic.
We must improve access to screening and treatment for women at risk
for preterm birth;
[[Page H5757]]
Ensure that all women have access to high quality maternity care, no
matter where they live;
And provide access to midwives or doulas that can advocate for
families' needs throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
This summer I introduced the COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training
Act to provide grants for hospitals and healthcare providers for
implicit bias training, particularly in light of COVID-19.
We all have our unconscious bias, and it is important for our
healthcare providers to be more aware of those issues as they are
providing care to patients during the pandemic.
We need to invest in programs that help families meet their basic
needs, including nutrition assistance, housing assistance, and other
social supports.
Last, but certainly not least, we must improve the quality of the
data being collected and ensure diversity among stakeholders that serve
on mortality review committees.
If we don't stand together to address these inequities, Black and
Brown mothers, our families, our friends, and our communities will
continue to suffer.
I hope this Congress will stand together to ensure that our
communities, our mothers, our babies have the resources they need--not
only to survive this pandemic, but to thrive and truly build back
stronger.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for her
leadership.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Alma Adams
for that very clear statement and I thank her for outlining the
interconnection and the intersection between systemic racism and the
social determinants of healthcare and how they impact the underlying
conditions and exacerbate it now as seen in COVID-19. I thank
Congresswoman Adams again for her leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms.
Scanlon), who certainly knows the serious and devastating impact of
this COVID pandemic in her district. I visited her district and
understand how close she is to her nonprofits and her community-based
organizations who are doing phenomenal work.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Scanlon very much for being here.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for arranging this
Special Order hour.
I stand before you today frustrated by the lack of Federal relief as
COVID-19 surges across the country. With each day that we don't have
relief for families, businesses, our frontline workers, and the State
and local governments that have borne the brunt of the pandemic
response, its impact grows that much more disastrous--and
disproportionately so for our communities of color.
More than a quarter of my constituents are Black, and we now know
that Black individuals are almost three times as likely to become
infected with COVID-19 as White individuals and twice as likely to die
of the virus. So over the past 9 months my district has seen families
and neighborhoods devastated by this virus.
My district is also home to our Nation's poorest and hungriest major
city. When you live paycheck to paycheck, one missed shift or even
missing an hour's worth of work forces families to make impossible
decisions between putting food on the table or keeping a roof overhead,
and it makes quarantining impossible.
For the most part these are not new challenges caused by COVID-19,
these are challenges that have been plaguing our most marginalized
communities and communities of color for decades. But the pandemic has
exacerbated and laid bare these inequities for all who care enough to
see. It is why we must provide relief to help our communities survive
the pandemic and commit to closing the gaps preexisting the pandemic
that have been holding families back for far too long.
Our families are in crisis. They need stimulus checks to pay their
rent and mortgages. They need access to free testing to protect
themselves and their families. They also need food and childcare and
access to equitable education, housing, healthcare, and wages.
This pandemic has shown us there is a roadmap to improving the lives
of millions of Americans, especially our communities of color, but we
must have the courage to follow it.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Scanlon for
joining us tonight with our Tri-Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus,
because so many of the issues that you are talking about in your
district as it relates to COVID and health disparities and the social
determinants we all are dealing with in our districts, and so thank you
for your leadership and for continuing to help us get this Heroes Act
passed so that we can do some of the things that you laid out that our
communities deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following statements from
the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National
Indian Health Board, the Asian Health Services, and UnidosUS.
Statement for the Record: Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights
On behalf of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights, I submit this testimony for the record.
No matter what we look like, where we live, or what is in
our wallets, getting sick reminds us that at our core we are
all the same. But we cannot ignore the pandemic's
disproportionate and devastating impact on Black and Brown
people, Native Americans, low-income people, people with
disabilities, the elderly, women, and immigrant communities.
Through health and education disparities, income inequality,
discrimination in voting and housing, unequal treatment
within the legal system, and the digital divide, communities
of color have been routinely locked out and left behind--and
sadly, as we have seen in increased hate violence and in far
worse health outcomes for people of color, this pandemic is
no different.
This pandemic calls for the enactment of policies and
sufficient funding to protect low- and moderate-income people
from economic disaster and to meet the urgent needs of the
most vulnerable people in our nation. Communities that have
already been marginalized by structural barriers to equal
opportunities and who have low levels of wealth are
particularly vulnerable during this current emergency. While
many working people have been sidelined, many others are
still providing essential services during the crisis--working
at our grocery stores, delivering mail and packages, and
providing care to vulnerable people--putting their lives at
risk, often at reduced hours and wages, to keep our country
running. The ongoing crisis has laid bare the structural
racism and barriers to opportunity that are entrenched in our
society, and our collective actions now must not worsen them.
Statement for the Record: National Indian Health Board
On behalf of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) and
the 574 sovereign Tribal Nations we serve, I submit this
testimony for the record.
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal
communities have been disproportionately impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic. No sector of Tribal economies or health
systems have been spared from the devastation this crisis has
unleashed. We are now, as of this writing, seven months in
the throes of an unparalleled pandemic. While we may not have
been able to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19, we absolutely
could have mitigated the worst of its impacts--especially in
Indian Country. But unfortunately, our Tribes are, once
again, battling a catastrophic, unprecedented, once-in-a-
lifetime disease without the necessary federal relief funds
and resources to protect and preserve life.
Since June of this year alone, NIHB has submitted seventeen
letters to Congress urging immediate action and passage of
emergency stimulus funds for the Indian health system to
better respond to COVID-19. We solemnly await congressional
action. We have consistently urged long-term reauthorization
of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI), vital to
Tribal efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by
preventing, treating, and managing one of the strongest risk
factors for a more serious COVID-19 illness: type II
diabetes. We solemnly await congressional action. We have
demanded that Congress work to fulfill Treaty obligations to
Tribal Nations and Native people by ensuring congressional
COVID-19 relief funds are on par with the recommendations
outlined by Tribal leaders and health experts. We solemnly
await congressional action. We have urged that burdensome
administrative requirements for accessing federal grants and
programs be eliminated to ensure expeditious delivery of
relief resources. We solemnly await congressional action. We
have urged that Congress not subject the Indian health system
to a destabilizing continuing resolution (CR) as it continues
to combat against an unparalleled pandemic; or to, at the
least, attach emergency COVID-19 appropriations for IHS to
the CR to mitigate the pain and disruption. Again, we
solemnly await congressional action.
To be clear, we continue to appreciate the commitment and
leadership of members of Congress in working to advance
Tribal health priorities in response to COVID-19. But the
Tribes require action from all of Congress on those
commitments. On September 10, NIHB was joined by the National
[[Page H5758]]
Congress of American Indians and the National Council of
Urban Indian Health in a letter to congressional leadership
urging immediate action on the priorities listed below. These
priorities have remained intact since early summer, as Indian
Country continues to bear the brunt of this extraordinary
crisis. In short, these priorities have not changed because
the situation in Indian Country remains just as dire. Once
again, we solemnly await congressional action.
Tribal COVID-19 Priorities
Minimum $2 billion in emergency funds to IHS for immediate
distribution to I/T/U system.
$1.7 billion to replenish lost 3rd party reimbursements
across the I/T/U system.
Prioritize equitable distribution of a safe and effective
COVID-19 vaccine across Indian Country, including a minimum 5
percent set-aside in vaccine funds for the I/T/U system.
Minimum $1 billion for water and sanitation systems across
IHS and Tribal communities.
Long-term reauthorization (5 years), higher funding, and
expansion of self-determination and self-governance for the
Special Diabetes Program for Indians.
COVID-19 Updates
The last time NIHB appeared before this Subcommittee was
June 10, 2020. Since that time, the number of AI/AN COVID-19
case infections reported by IHS have nearly quadrupled.
Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) reported a roughly 22 percent increase in COVID-19
hospitalization rates among AI/ANs--increasing from a rate of
272 per 100,000 in mid-July to 347.7 per 100,000 as of
September 12, 2020. Rates of death from COVID-19 among AI/ANs
have more than doubled since the last time NIHB testified
before the Subcommittee--from a rate of 36 per 100,000 on
June 9 to 81.9 per 100,000 as of September 15.
In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) reported that across 23 states, cumulative incidence
rates of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases among AI/ANs are 3.5
times higher than for non-Hispanic Whites. Also, according to
CDC, age-adjusted rates of COVID-19 hospitalization among AI/
ANs from March 1, 2020, through August 22, 2020, were 4.7
times higher than for non-Hispanic Whites. Without sufficient
additional congressional relief sent directly to I/T/U
systems, these shocking upward trends will more than likely
continue as COVID-19 restrictions are eased, schools and
businesses reopen, and the potential threat of a more severe
flu season coincides with this pandemic. State-specific data
further demonstrate the vast inequities in COVID-19 deaths
between AI/ANs and the general population. Below are a few
examples of these state-specific disparities based on NIHB's
analysis of state-specific data.
In Arizona, AI/ANs account for 5.5 percent of the
population, but 13.4 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
In New Mexico, AI/ANs account for 10.7 percent of the
population, but nearly 57 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
In Montana, AI/ANs account for 8.2 percent of the
population, but 27 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
In South Dakota, AI/ANs account for 10.4 percent of the
population, but nearly 23 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
In North Dakota, AI/ANs account for 6.5 percent of the
population, but 13.3 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
In Mississippi, AI/ANs account for less than 1 percent of
the population, but 3 percent of COVID-19 deaths.
Even more alarming is the lack of complete data on COVID-19
outcomes among AI/ANs. Available COVID-19 data already
highlight significant disparities between AI/ANs and the
general population; shockingly, true estimates of disease
burden and death resulting from COVID-19 in Indian Country
are likely much higher. In CDC's own August 2020 report on
COVID-19 in Indian Country, the authors noted the following:
This analysis represents an underestimate of the actual
COVID-19 incidence among AI/AN persons for several reasons.
Reporting of detailed case data to CDC by states is known to
be incomplete; therefore, this analysis was restricted to 23
states with more complete reporting of race and ethnicity. As
a result, the analysis included only one half of reported
laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among AI/AN persons
nationwide, and the examined states represent approximately
one third of the national AI/AN population. In addition, AI/
AN persons are commonly misclassified as non-AI/AN races and
ethnicities in epidemiologic and administrative data sets,
leading to an underestimation of AI/AN morbidity and
mortality.
Indeed, there are multiple states that still have a
significant percentage of COVID-19 cases missing critical
demographic data. In California for instance, a whopping 31
percent of cases are still missing race and ethnicity. The
State of New York has failed to report AI/AN data
altogether--listing only Hispanic, Black, White, Asian, or
Other on their COVID-19 data dashboards.
Meanwhile, the Special Diabetes Program for Indians
(SDPI)--instrumental for COVID-19 response efforts in Indian
Country because it is focused on prevention, treatment, and
management of diabetes, one of the most significant risk
factors for a more serious COVID-19 illness--has endured four
short-term extensions since last September, placing immense
and undue strain on program operations. Under the House-
passed CR for FY 2021 H.R. 8337, SDPI is extended for a mere
eleven days--its shortest reauthorization on record. A
national survey of SDPI grantees conducted by NIHB found that
nearly 1 in 5 Tribal SDPI grantees reported employee
furloughs, including for healthcare providers, with 81
percent of SDPI furloughs directly linked to the economic
impacts of COVID-19 in Tribal communities. Roughly 1 in 4
programs have reported delaying essential purchases of
medical equipment to treat and monitor diabetes due to
funding uncertainty, and nearly half of all programs are
experiencing or anticipating cutbacks in the availability of
diabetes program services--all under the backdrop of a
pandemic that continues to overwhelm the Indian health
system.
Now, with the inevitability of a continuing resolution (CR)
through at least December 11, 2020--and the possibility of
another CR thereafter--it is even more imperative that
Congress provide emergency appropriations to better stabilize
the Indian health system. This Subcommittee knows full well
that IHS is the only federal healthcare system that is
subject to government shutdowns and CRs. This Subcommittee is
also acutely aware of the devastating impacts that endless
CRs have had, and will continue to have, on the Indian health
system. We commend Chair McCollum's leadership in introducing
H.R. 1128 and Ranking Member Joyce's strong support for H.R.
1135--both of which would authorize advance appropriations
for IHS and permanently insulate it from the volatility of
the annual appropriations process. But in the interim,
Congress must ensure a funding fix that protects and
preserves life in Indian Country and delivers critical
pandemic relief in recognition of federal Treaty obligations.
If Congress fails to provide sufficient emergency
appropriations for the Indian health system, a stopgap
measure will force a healthcare system serving roughly 2.6
million AI/ANs to operate during a pandemic without an
enacted budget or even adjustments for rising medical and
non-medical inflation. In short, that is a recipe for even
more disaster, death, and despair.
We patiently remind you that federal Treaty obligations for
healthcare to Tribal Nations and AI/AN Peoples exist in
perpetuity and must be fully honored, especially in light of
the current pandemic and its unparalleled toll in Indian
Country. While we appreciate the roughly $1 billion to IHS
under the CARES Act and the $750 million testing set-aside
under the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care
Enhancement Act; these investments have been necessary but
woefully insufficient to stem the tide of the pandemic in
Tribal communities.
We thank you for your continued commitment to Indian
Country, and as always, stand ready to work with you in a
bipartisan fashion to advance the health of all AI/AN people.
Sincerely,
National Indian Health Board.
Statement for the Record: Asian Health Services
On behalf of the One Nation Commission, Co-Chairs Sherry
Hirota, CEO of Asian Health Services, and former Congressman
Mike Honda, I submit this testimony for the record.
The information shared, is documented in the One Nation
Commission 2020 Report: One Nation AAPIs Rising to Fight Dual
Pandemics COVID-19 and Racism, which was delivered to every
member of Congress and the Senate in October 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit communities of color,
including AAPIs, the hardest. In the 13th Congressional
District, Alameda County in California, AAPIs are the largest
population subgroup, comprising a diverse and varied
population, spanning every economic stratum; essential
workers and corporate CEOs, Nobel Laureates and students on
the broken side of the digital divide, researchers and
doctors, janitors and food servers, and new immigrants all
contributing to society in this time of crisis.
By the time COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic and
national emergency, the Asian American and Pacific Islander
(AAPI) Community had already gone underground. Fear of the
virus was compounded by a sudden and virulent rise in hate
and violence against Asians. Racist taunting by our country's
top leader calling Covid-19 ``Kung Flu,'' and ``China
Virus,'' used the pandemic and its economic destruction to
scapegoat Asian Americans across the country. Congresswoman
Lee's own staffer was called, ``COVID'' and pelted with rocks
while riding his bike through Rock Creek Park in D.C. Despite
calls from every sector of the AAPI Community for the
president to retract his dangerous words, the hate speak
continued. The result was a tsunami of attacks on Asian
Americans.
As COVID-19 cases spiked around the country, AAPIs were not
only blamed but appeared missing from the news coverage,
data, and charts. The twenty-five-year-old health advocacy
battle to ``disaggregate data'' reared its ugly head again
and was now a matter of life and death. Lumping together
information about ethnic and language groups obstructs
effective epidemiology and care. In the big picture, the
absence of data ensures invisibility for AAPIs as a whole,
and each subpopulation within that designation. Missing are
the number of AAPIs who have been tested, how many tested
positive, how many are sick, or hospitalized, or have died.
We must expand the frame--to ask, what is the impact of
COVID-19 on AAPI communities? To fill the gap a self-
organized
[[Page H5759]]
work group of nationally renowned AAPI researchers pulled
data from multiple cities and states revealing higher death
rates among Asian Americans who were Covid positive.
Nine months into the dual pandemic of COVID-19 and racism,
the AAPI community is fighting back against being both blamed
and ignored. The One Nation Commission is honored to join
forces with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Karen
Bass, and the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Asian
Pacific Islander American Caucus, and individuals and
organizations to defeat COVID-19, bring back our communities
stronger and healthier, combat hate crimes against AAPIs, and
work in solidarity with the Black, Latinx and Indigenous
People to fight systemic racism.
Hidden disparities undermine effective and just health
policy and outcomes. COVID vaccine allocation, for example,
based prioritization in part on inaccurate information of
disparities and vulnerabilities. Recently the National
Academy of Sciences released recommendations on vaccine
allocation but did not name Asian Americans as a vulnerable
group. This must be immediately rectified.
Critical to health, justice, equity, and the opportunity
for our communities to emerge stronger than before from these
dual pandemics:
(1) Mandate disaggregated data collection and reporting;
(2) Require linguistically and culturally competent
outreach and care;
(3) Strengthen and resource the community health center and
nonprofit safety net; and
(4) Reverse unfair and un-American anti-immigrant policies
that endanger the public health and public good, including
Public Charge.
Immediate next steps:
(1) Protecting and further investing in trusted community-
based organizations to implement new programs and preserve
proven programs,
COVID community testing,
COVID contact tracing,
Cultural and linguistic competency,
Addressing misinformation that creates fear and chilling
effects (e.g., public charge rule change).
(2) Expanding beyond COVID-19 outcomes (cases and deaths)
to understand full impacts
Anti-Asian hate crimes a physical and mental health,
Mental health,
Immigration status affecting access and utilization of
services (e.g., public charge rule change),
Other social determinants of health (occupation/essential
workers, living conditions, language barriers).
(3) Data disaggregation is paramount to identifying and
addressing hidden disparities. Encourage immediate
disaggregated data collection at the local levels--testing,
cases, comorbidities, deaths,
Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good: Reinforce
disaggregated data reporting in public communications to
create this paradigm shift, even with small numbers,
An example of hidden disparities: Filipinos having even
more striking death rates. In the U.S., Filipino nurses make
up 4 percent of workforce but nearly 31.5 percent of deaths
among registered nurses.
Statement for the Record: UnidosUS
On behalf of UnidosUS, I submit this testimony for the
record.
Communities of color are putting life and limb on the line
every day to help our nation through the COVID-19 crisis yet
continue to be overwhelmingly and disproportionately impacted
by the dire health and economic repercussions of this
pandemic.
These unprecedented and devastating times continue to
expose the appalling and deeply unjust fault lines in our
nation's health care system and labor force. Despite the fact
that Latinos are overrepresented in ``essential'' occupations
where they are most at risk of exposure to the coronavirus
infection and are also bearing the brunt of the economic
fallout from the pandemic, they have been consistently
excluded from much needed COVID-19 relief legislation.
Any further delay in COVID-19 relief legislation will be
particularly devastating to the health and well-being of our
nation's 58 million Latinos, far too many of whom have been
left out of the four coronavirus relief packages enacted so
far. Failure to respond urgently to the human suffering we
are witnessing is deeply objectionable and, from a public
health and economic perspective, wholly indefensible.
Latinos have long suffered from health disparities--being
more likely to develop chronic health conditions such as
diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Another disparity is
emerging, Latinos are contracting and dying from COVID-19
disproportionately and are nearly three times more likely to
die compared to non-Hispanic Whites.
These disparities are a result of multiple preexisting
structural and societal factors, including a health care
system that leaves coverage out of reach of millions of
Latinos. Before the pandemic, more than 10 million Latinos
(including 1.6 million Latino children) were uninsured, and
preliminary data now show that the Latino uninsured rate
increased over the course of 2020. Latinos have also long
struggled with food insecurity and increased stressors and
mental health issues, and the pandemic has only exacerbated
these challenges.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, let me take a moment to thank all
of our colleagues who joined us this evening laying out the pandemic
upon pandemic upon pandemic in communities of color.
In all past public health crises one recurring lesson stands out:
That is, success depends on the willingness of people to trust the
health information that they are getting. We learned this from the HIV
and AIDS pandemic, Ebola, H1N1, and now we are learning it again during
COVID. So this is especially true for communities of color.
This year millions of Americans have taken to the streets to demand
racial justice. This is because the system that exists today has failed
them. We must acknowledge the centuries old racial and ethnic
disparities, and intentionally build culturally and community-minded
policies to move forward for a stronger and unified country.
We must act swiftly. The longer communities suffer from COVID-19, the
greater the long-term impact and disparities. States project that their
shortfall for 2021-fiscal year will be much deeper than the shortfalls
faced in any year of the Great Recession.
Federal Reserve economists project that unemployment will be at 6.5
percent at the end of 2021. Of course, it is higher in communities of
color. The Congressional Budget Office projects an even higher rate at
6.7 percent; again, for communities of color more than likely it is
double that.
Our Nation's workforce is disproportionately composed of communities
of color and some of the most marginalized communities and groups. Many
are essential workers. These workers and their families are being put
at greater risk during the coronavirus pandemic due to the conditions
of their jobs and their socioeconomic realities and, mind you, the lack
of Federal response. We must pass a COVID relief bill.
I am proud to stand before you joined by my colleagues because I know
that this change is on the horizon. From the sidewalks to the ballot
boxes, people are fully engaged and are courageously advocating to be
heard. It is our job that every community is ensured coronavirus relief
and that we negotiate what is needed, including funding to provide
relief for every community and with community stakeholders.
Our bill, H.R. 8192, the COVID Community Care Act, does just that. We
cannot afford to leave anyone behind.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank our Speaker; Chairwoman Bass, for
sharing this CBC Special Order hour; and I thank our Tri-Caucus chairs,
Congresswoman Chu and Representative Castro, Representatives Haaland,
Davids, of course, Representative Garcia. And I thank all of our
colleagues for being here tonight to really sound the alarm.
This is an emergency in the entire country. It is a deep and broad
emergency pandemic as it relates to COVID-19, and we need relief right
away.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the
impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our communities of
color across this nation. This virus has deeply impacted every segment
of our society, but the harms that have befallen certain populations
have been disproportionate and devastating.
For our Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian, and immigrant families,
COVID-19 has exacerbated longstanding inequities in our health care and
economic systems, and our communities of color have been burdened with
higher rates of comorbidities, more barriers in accessing medical care,
and worse health outcomes due to this virus. This has been devastating
to observe, as many of these same communities have also been dealing
with significant economic turmoil in these recent months.
Never has our society faced a challenge such as this. These are truly
unprecedented times, and it merits our relentless efforts to lessen the
damages of this pandemic, which is expected to worsen during this
upcoming winter season. It is our responsibility as members of this
chamber to prevent the imminent disparate harms of COVID-19 on
communities of color. We must also address the systematic issues of
structural racism in our society, which affects the health and economic
wellbeing of our families.
Everyday, our nation sees the need for further action to combat this
public
[[Page H5760]]
health crisis. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting additional
federal assistance to fight this pandemic and protecting our
communities of color.
Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
Tri-Caucus' Special Order to highlight the disproportionate impact of
COVID-19 on communities of color. Our nation is currently overwhelmed
by unprecedented numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and
deaths. After more than eight months of suffering, the COVID-19
pandemic continues to ravage our communities, creating incalculable
pain, massive economic disruption, and immense strain on our public
health system. As of this moment, more than 246,000 Americans have lost
their lives from this deadly disease. More than eleven million have
been infected, and nearly 70,000 are currently hospitalized with severe
cases of COVID-19. While all Americans are suffering from this
pandemic, communities of color are experiencing acute and
disproportionate pain.
From the beginning of this pandemic, it was clear that the phrase
``when white America catches a cold, Black America gets pneumonia''
would be particularly true with COVID-19's devastating consequences. In
fact, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately harms Black and Brown
communities with dramatically unequal infection rates,
hospitalizations, and deaths. Specifically, Black people are three
times more likely to become infected with COVID-19 than whites.
Moreover, Black people die from COVID-19 at around twice the rate of
white people. These aren't just statistics. They represent our friends,
neighbors, and loved ones. They are people like my cousin who died from
COVID-19 earlier this year, and so many others who are no longer with
us.
Like past disease outbreaks and natural disasters, the COVID-19
pandemic lays bare the consequences of systemic injustices suffered by
communities of color. Institutional racism, compounded by environmental
and economic injustices, have resulted in severe health disparities for
communities of color which make the COVID-19 pandemic so uniquely
devastating. Despite the disproportionate harm the COVID-19 pandemic
has caused among communities of color, many states still do not provide
transparency regarding racial and ethnic demographic data for COVID-19
cases and deaths. For example, in my state of Indiana, the State only
provides an aggregate breakdown of the racial and ethnic demographics
for cases and deaths during the entire pandemic. This results in a
profoundly incomplete picture of the disproportionate sickness, death,
fear and tragedy this virus is inflicting on communities of color.
As Congress considers much-needed, additional measures to combat
COVID-19 and provide relief for businesses, hospitals and workers, one
thing is clear: Communities of color must receive substantial relief
and support that matches the devastation they've suffered from this
pandemic. In addition, states and public health departments must
provide updated and daily demographic information, including a racial
and ethnic breakdown, for the daily numbers of COVID-19 cases and
deaths. This data transparency is essential to fully understand how the
pandemic is affecting different communities and how we can best
respond. With this data, we can better target our COVID-19 relief funds
and support to ensure that communities of color get all the help we
need to weather the storm of this pandemic and combat the underlying
inequities in our health care system that this pandemic has
exacerbated.
I am committed to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle
to act now and to act boldly to implement a national plan that will
save lives from this terrible disease.
____________________