Reps. Hastings, Buchanan Lead Florida Delegation Letter Requesting Immediate Federal Support for Florida's Response to Coronavirus

WASHINGTON, March 12 -- Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Florida, issued the following news release:

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Co-Chairs of the Florida Delegation, led a bipartisan delegation letter urging President Trump to immediately prioritize providing emergency federal resources to the State of Florida to address the growing public health crisis caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state. Last week, Congress moved rapidly to provide the Administration with an $8.3 billion emergency response package to address the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S.:

March 11, 2020

The Honorable Donald J. Trump

President of the United States of America

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As Members of the Florida Delegation, we write with urgency to express concern about the evolving conditions in Florida due to the outbreak of COVID-19 ("Coronavirus") and to request Florida's prioritization to receive immediate, emergency resources to aggressively mitigate and contain the spread of the virus in our State. Florida has recently been placed under a state of emergency as the number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus has already grown since the initial announcement last week, and will likely continue to grow given Florida's role as a significant port of entry, contact with the virus through shared spaces and those who are asymptomatic, in addition to other means by which the virus can spread.

The World Health Organization cautions that older populations and those with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma and heart conditions are more susceptible to becoming severely ill once they have contracted the Coronavirus./1

Florida's population is estimated to be made up of 20 percent of individuals aged 65 and over, higher than the estimated 16 percent nation-wide, and 28 percent of Florida's nonelderly population have pre-existing conditions, slightly higher than the national percentage./2

Additionally, we represent a diverse state of rural, minority and indigenous, impoverished, and numerous other historically underserved communities that will require access to resources and medical infrastructure that are not currently available and will be needed to mitigate the spread of the virus to other parts of the State and the country.

Congress has moved rapidly to provide the Administration with over $8 billion to address the outbreak of the Coronavirus. This funding is central to the medical response that will need to be initiated in Florida as doctors, nurses, and their teams continue to work on the front lines of this outbreak. Such an aggressive response must include the ability for all communities to have adequate access to testing for this disease to guide responses and assist in any mitigation or containment strategies, coordinated among various federal entities such as the Centers from Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and local agencies. These strategies will be strengthened by proactive and transparent communication from the CDC and the Coronavirus Taskforce to the States, so that local healthcare systems can take the appropriate steps to control any further spread of the disease and must remain a top priority as the outbreak evolves.

With this in mind, we believe the Administration and the Taskforce can take several actions to improve the response to the Coronavirus outbreak in Florida. Nursing homes and other sites that care for our senior constituents should be provided with specific guidelines to protect residents who are particularly vulnerable and to safeguard staff and health providers. Additionally, same-day test kits need to be circulated to as many testing sites as possible to limit the spread of the disease through contact. Finally, the federal government needs to work closely with Governor DeSantis to ensure that Florida is fully reimbursed for their expenses to combat the virus to date and develop an action plan to help protect our unique, tourism-driven economy as State officials continue to fight the disease on multiple fronts. We are ready to help your Administration and the Taskforce provide leadership, resources, and information to our constituents during this critical time.

We respectfully ask for your full consideration of our requests and immediate assistance from federal entities including the CDC, NIH, and HHS to our local healthcare systems. We thank you for your attention to this critically urgent matter and look forward to a prompt response.

Sincerely,

Alcee L. Hastings, Member of Congress

Vern Buchanan, Member of Congress

Frederica S. Wilson, Member of Congress

Daniel Webster, Member of Congress

Ted Deutch, Member of Congress

Al Lawson, Member of Congress

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member of Congress

Stephanie Murphy, Member of Congress

Bill Posey, Member of Congress

Francis Rooney, Member of Congress

Matt Gaetz, Member of Congress

Val B. Demings, Member of Congress

Charlie Crist, Member of Congress

Ross Spano, Member of Congress

Lois Frankel, Member of Congress

Mario Diaz-Balart, Member of Congress

Gus M. Billrakis, Member of Congress

Darren Soto, Member of Congress

Donna E. Shalala, Member of Congress

Brian Mast, Member of Congress

W. Gregory Steube, Member of Congress

Michael Waltz, Member of Congress

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Member of Congress

John H. Rutherford, Member of Congress

Footnotes:

1/ World Health Organization, "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters."

2/ United States Census Bureau. Gary Claxton, Cynthia Cox, Anthony Damico, Larry Levitt, and Karen Pollitz; "Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families;" KFF; October 4, 2019.