Capitol Hill Updates

The Pandemic Response Report

What’s Important  

CDC’s School Reopening Guidance Misinterprets Science: Four doctors wrote a scathing opinion piece in USA Today blasting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) school reopening guidance for misinterpreting science and not taking into account data showing little disease transmission in schools. The authors argue school closures are harming children.

Cuomo Must Deliver Facts Now: Governor Cuomo called on New Yorkers and the American people to wait for the facts about his sexual harassment scandal, but Governor Cuomo needs to give us the facts that he is covering up regarding his deadly nursing home order which forced thousands of COVID-positive patients into nursing homes, potentially leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Operation Warp Speed a Resounding Success: President Biden refuses to give credit to President Trump and Operation Warp Speed (OWS), but the facts clearly show OWS has been a resounding success in delivering multiple safe and effective vaccines to the American people. Even a senior adviser to the White House’s COVID team is now crediting OWS for spurring the development of a vaccine at an unprecedented pace.

Relief Radar

Last week, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law Speaker Pelosi’s $1.9 trillion partisan so-called COVID relief package. More than 90 percent of the law isn’t even related to public health spending. Some of the most egregious provisions of the bill:

  • $350 billion to bail out locked-down blue states
  • $570 million to provide additional paid leave for federal workers to watch their children who are at home as a result of school closures
  • $50 million in environmental justice grants
  • $50 million for Planned Parenthood
  • Taxpayer-funded healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants
  • Ban on states from lowering their taxes

This law isn’t relief Americans need. It’s a payoff to progressives.

Crisis Corner

CDC’s School Reopening Guidance Misinterprets Science: Last week, four doctors wrote a scathing opinion piece in USA Today blasting the CDC’s school reopening guidance for misinterpreting science and not taking into account data showing little disease transmission in schools. The authors wrote, “The recent school reopening guidance released by the CDC is an example of fears influencing and resulting in misinterpretation of science and harmful policy.” The authors went onto say, “Keeping schools closed or even partially closed, based on what we know now is unwarranted, is harming children, and has become a human rights issue.”

Additionally, another report released last week found attending school does not increase risk to children and schools do not appear to drive community transmission. The report also concluded research shows children face greater health risks due to missed health screenings, food insecurity, and mental health challenges.

Study after study shows children and teachers can return safely to the classroom. When will President Biden follow the science instead of the unions?

Democrat Hypocrisy Alert

Congressional Democrats Continue Refusing to Hold Cuomo Accountable: There is a growing chorus of Democrats joining Republicans in calling for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to be held accountable, but Congressional Democrats continue to refuse to subpoena Governor Cuomo and make him testify under oath. Republican Leaders recently renewed their request for a joint hearing, but Chairs Richard Neal, Carolyn Maloney, Frank Pallone, and James Clyburn have ignored the request.

Biden Flip Flops

Negative COVID Test Required for Foreign Tourists but Not Illegal Immigrants: In January, President Biden issued an executive order requiring a negative COVID test for foreign tourists before they enter the United States and the CDC has also reaffirmed this requirement. However, it’s a different story at the border, according to Democrat Congressman Henry Cuellar. He recently stated Customs and Border Protection, under the Biden Administration’s leadership, is releasing untested illegal immigrants into border communities.

Biden Blunders

Biden Takes Credit for Operation Warp Speed Successes: Last week, President Biden delivered a speech marking the one-year anniversary of the COVID lockdowns. During the speech, he refused to give credit to President Trump and Operation Warp Speed for delivering safe and effective vaccines. But President Trump laid the ground work for delivering safe and effective vaccines to the American people—a fact even the Washington Post acknowledges. Previously, President Biden and administration officials went as far to say “they inherited no plan,” even though President Biden’s initial plan to deliver 100 million vaccine doses in 100 days was President Trump’s plan.

This Week in SSOCC

Hearing on Post-Pandemic Economy: On Wednesday, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis will hold a hearing on the post-pandemic economy. Congressional Democrats and President Biden recently rushed a $2 trillion spending bill through Congress even though economists– including prominent former Clinton and Obama appointee, Larry Summers – are saying it is not needed to sustain the current trajectory of economic growth and could actually harm the U.S. economy. The Congressional Budget Office is projecting a stronger economy and 3.7 real GDP growth for 2021 without additional stimulus. It’s clear we don’t need more stimulus—we need to reopen our economy and put Americans back to work.

Cuomo Must Deliver Facts About Nursing Home Deaths Now: As Governor Cuomo calls on New Yorkers and the American people to wait for the facts about his sexual harassment scandal, Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) calls on Governor Cuomo to give us the facts that he has been covering up regarding his deadly nursing home order which forced thousands of COVID-positive patients into nursing homes, leading to their unnecessary deaths. Families who lost loved ones are tired of waiting for the facts and are disgusted by Governor Cuomo obstructing justice and hiding the truth. Governor Cuomo’s words are cheap if he doesn’t follow it up with action.

What They’re Saying

CDC misinterpreted our research on opening schools. It should loosen the rules now. (USA Today Opinion)
“The recent school reopening guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an example of fears influencing and resulting in misinterpretation of science and harmful policy … Like in so many states, California and Illinois schools are being hamstrung by the CDC guidance. The guidance does not take into account the data we have regarding little disease transmission in schools. Nor, although the guidance cites the work performed across Wisconsin districts performed by our group and published in the MMWR, does it take that data and new analyses from that dataset into account. Keeping schools closed or even partially closed, based on what we know now is unwarranted, is harming children, and has become a human rights issue.”

New report urges reopening of schools (Axios)
“There’s a dire need to reopen schools as quickly as possible — and it can be done without endangering teachers, families or the community, a report to be presented to members of Congress concludes … The report analyzed the conclusions of more than 130 studies of whether schools can be reopened safely. It found the public benefits of school closures ‘questionable.’ … ‘The kids that have been out of school the longest have the most urgent need of getting back in the classroom,” Bailey tells Axios. ‘There’s also a group of students for whom remote learning has been a struggle — and they’re falling behind.’ … Mental health problems among school kids are so pervasive that ‘it’s another pandemic beneath the current pandemic that we’re facing,’ says Bailey, who’s a fellow at AEI and adviser at the Walton Family Foundation.”

Slavitt: I would ‘tip my hat’ to Trump’s Operation Warp Speed (Politico)
“Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the White House’s Covid team, on Thursday credited the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed for spurring the development of a Covid vaccine at an unprecedented pace. ‘We’re grateful for the work that came before us and are doing the best we can to continue it and accelerate it,’ Slavitt said on Fox News. ‘I would absolutely tip my hat. … The Trump administration made sure that we got in record time a vaccine up and out. That’s a great thing and it’s something we should all be excited about.’”

Biden leans heavily on Trump’s ‘Warp Speed’ but won’t give credit (ABC News)
“Despite calls for national unity and bipartisanship, President Joe Biden and his top aides have declined to give the Trump administration credit on the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout while relying heavily on a system established by their predecessors.”

American Heroes

Jerry Walkowiak, Mount Pleasant Chick-Fil-A Manager: Who do you call when trying to improve traffic at a drive-thru vaccination site? The logistics experts at Chick-Fil-A—at least that’s what the town of Mount Pleasant did. After experiencing a computer glitch which led to a traffic jam at a drive-thru vaccination clinic in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Mayor Will Haynie reached out to a nearby Chick-Fil-A location and asked manager Jerry Walkowiak to assist in streamlining traffic. Mr. Walkowiak offered tips and recommended changes, which drove the wait time down to 20 minutes.

Member Mention

Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) says Congressional Democrats are complicit in the Cuomo cover-up if they refuse to investigate.

Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) calls out Governor Cuomo for failing to take responsibility for his actions.

Ways and Means Republicans point out Democrats still have not responded to the request for a joint hearing on Cuomo’s cover-up.

Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-Texas) emphasizes the importance of Operation Warp Speed in aiding America’s recovery.

Oversight Republicans point out school closures are hurting children with disabilities.

Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) calls for schools to be reopened.