Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have issued the following statement regarding Congressional action to combat the coronavirus:

“The United States government must do more to address the spread of the deadly coronavirus in a smart, strategic, and serious way and we stand ready to work in a bipartisan fashion in Congress and with the administration to achieve this necessary goal. Lives are at stake. This is not the time for name-calling or playing politics.

“The first step the Congress must take is to ensure the government has the resources needed to combat this deadly virus and keep Americans safe.

“Any emergency funding supplemental the Congress approves must be entirely new funding—not stolen from other accounts—and include, at a minimum, strong provisions that ensure that:

• The president cannot transfer these new funds to anything other than the coronavirus and fighting infectious diseases;
• Vaccines are affordable and available to all that need it; and
• Interest-free loans are made available for small businesses impacted by the outbreak; and
• The state and local governments are reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak.”