President Trump Issues Letter to Governors

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 -- President Trump issued the following letter to the governors on Sept. 28:

To America's Governors,

Over the last seven months, my Administration has worked tirelessly with Governors to respond to COVID-19. Through our work together, we have built a robust COVID-19 testing ecosystem, and I am pleased to be providing additional rapid point-of-care tests to continue to enhance our Nation's testing system.

In March, I challenged American biotechnology companies to develop a rapid, inexpensive, and accurate test. Abbott Laboratories has now delivered. My Administration recently announced the purchase of 150 million Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOWTM rapid point-of-care tests. I am especially proud these tests are being Made in America, by Americans, and for Americans. Moreover, the swabs used for this test are available because of my Administration's use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to invest in domestic manufacturing. This is a major development that will help save more lives by further protecting America's most vulnerable and allowing our country to get Americans back to work and children back to school.

Last week, we began deploying BinaxNOWTM rapid point-of-care tests to our Nation's higher-risk, vulnerable populations. This included distributing tests to those impacted by natural disasters as well as to assisted living centers, nursing homes, HBCUs, and Native American communities. We will provide you a list of previous distribution locations in your state this week. My Administration will provide continual supplies of BinaxNOWTM tests for vulnerable populations through the end of the year.

In addition, we will be deploying 100 million tests to our Nation's Governors free of charge between now and the end of the year. The tests will begin deploying this week, and States will be responsible for distributing and administering them. We hope you will use them in ways to further open up your states by protecting vulnerable people. For example, we all want our children to be physically back in school, so we are encouraged that many States are considering prioritizing these tests to support in-person education by testing teachers, aides, and administrators, particularly those at high-risk. Tests can also be used for frontline healthcare workers, those living in households with high-risk individuals, emergency responders, and those in high-risk communities, including African American and Hispanic American communities, or in any other way your States deem to be appropriate.

The United States is leading the world in testing, and we will continue to take a whole-of-America approach that harnesses industry and innovation to ensure America continues to save as many lives as possible. My Administration will continue to collaborate with States in our battle to defeat the virus until we have complete victory.

Thank you for your partnership to serve our fellow citizens.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Trump