Tag: pandemic

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: March 20, 2020

Sen. John Hoffman supports Gov. Walz Executive Order to protect Minnesota’s most vulnerable

St. Paul, Minn.—State Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) applauds Governor Walz’s Executive Order 20-12 to make sure vulnerable populations are protected during this unprecedented time with the spread of COVID-19. The order mirrors legislation Sen. Hoffman co-authored with Sen. Jim Abler. That legislation passed out of Health and Human Services and was sent to Finance last week, but it was not part of the final $200 million legislation that passed off the House and Senate floor early Tuesday morning.

Since then, Sen. Hoffman has been advocating that this important legislation be implemented through the Governor’s Executive Order authority. That order was signed today. Specifically, Executive Order 20-12 allows DHS to temporarily issue waivers or modifications to state requirements to ensure that their services can be delivered to Minnesotans safely and without undue delay, protecting vulnerable Minnesotans and those who care for them. DHS provides health care coverage, programs, and services for more than one million Minnesotans, including groups likely to be significantly impacted by COVID-19 such as older adults, individuals who have disabilities, families with children, and individuals with mental illness.

“Ensuring the health and safety of Minnesotans is my highest priority as the state copes with a growing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, and that includes making sure our most vulnerable—the elderly, those with disabilities, and children—are protected,” Sen. Hoffman said. “I am pleased with our work to make sure Minnesota has a strong support and safety net in place and the necessary regulatory flexibility and relief to make sure that Minnesotans with physical and developmental disabilities are not cut off from vital services.” Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: March 20, 2020”

Minnesota House of Representatives working in new ways to address pandemic and economic hardships

House DFL logo

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives are temporarily working from outside the Minnesota State Capitol. In conformity with Minnesota Department of Health guidelines, State Representatives are engaging in telework rather than in-person work at the State Capitol. Legislators in the Minnesota House of Representatives are convening informal working groups to discuss measures to assist Minnesotans coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and its related disruptions.

“The members of the Minnesota House of Representatives are working hard on behalf of the people of Minnesota during this crisis,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “While we follow the guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health to keep people safe, we are convening informal working groups to discuss emergency measures related to COVID-19 and to the mission-critical work of the Legislature this session. We are working to develop opportunities for members of the public to weigh in and offer their feedback in a way that is protective of their health.” Continue reading “Minnesota House of Representatives working in new ways to address pandemic and economic hardships”

Opposing Relief Bill, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Shrugs Off COVID-19 Deaths

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) tried to downplay how bad the impact of the novel coronavirus will be, and in the process showed his science skills are not up to speed.

In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he suggested that the social distancing measures being taken to stop the spread of the virus are overblown.

“I’m sure the deaths are horrific … I’m not denying what a nasty disease COVID-19 can be, and how it’s obviously devastating to somewhere between 1 and 3.4 percent of the population,” Johnson told the Journal Sentinel. Continue reading.

Kushner coronavirus team sparks confusion, plaudits inside White House response efforts

Washington Post logoJared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and a senior adviser, has created his own team of government allies and private industry representatives to work alongside the administration’s official coronavirus task force, adding another layer of confusion and conflicting signals within the White House’s disjointed response to the crisis.

Kushner, who joined the administration’s coronavirus efforts last week, is primarily focused on attempting to set up drive-through testing sites with the help of technology and retail executives, as well as experts in health-care delivery. The goal, officials familiar with the work said, is to have limited testing in a handful of cities running by Friday and to expand the project from there.

But Kushner’s team is causing confusion among many officials involved in the response, who say they are unsure who is in charge given Kushner’s dual role as senior adviser and Trump family member. Some have privately dubbed his team a “shadow task force” whose requests they interpret as orders they must balance with regular response efforts.
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Markets Erase All Gains During Trump Presidency

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid yet again on Wednesday, erasing all of the gains it had made since Donald Trump took office — as well as a key argument Trump has made for his reelection in November.

When Trump took office, the Dow stood at 19,827 points. On Wednesday, that number was even lower — 19,520 at the time of publication.

That’s down from a high of 29,398 on Feb. 14. Continue reading.

Congress reviewed its doomsday plans after 9/11. It never envisioned a threat like the coronavirus.

Washington Post logoSen. Richard J. Durbin sat in a leadership meeting Monday night in the same room he was in the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, with the location and today’s environment reminding him of that fateful day.

“Looking down the Mall, as the white black smoke came across from the Pentagon. I remember it well,” the Illinois Democrat said in an interview Tuesday.

Those attacks on Washington and New York — followed five weeks later by anthrax-laced letters sent to two senators — prompted a sweeping review of doomsday planning for how to keep Congress running in the event of a terrorist attack or other calamity. The past few days have sparked anew talk about the continuity of Congress but against an entirely different threat — a threat from within, literally, a virus that two members of the House announced late Wednesday that they had been diagnosed with, setting off a round of self-quarantining by other lawmakers.

CDC suggests nurses use bandanas, scarves during face mask shortage

CDC acknowledges recommendations are out of step with U.S. standards of care

As the national shortage of face masks becomes severe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nurses can use bandanas and scarves as makeshift masks when caring for COVID-19 patients — although it’s unclear whether they would protect medical workers.

The CDC says that option should be used “as a last resort” and only when the hospital nearly depletes its supply and experiences a crush of COVID-19 patients, reaching “crisis capacity.” The CDC acknowledges that its recommendations are out of step with standards of care in the United States.

[Hospitals want to kill a policy shielding nurses from COVID-19 because there aren’t enough masks]

Nurses and other health care providers can “use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19,” the CDC website now reads. The agency says in the next sentence that the homemade masks’ capability to protect health care providers against the coronavirus-caused disease “is unknown.” Continue reading.

Trump takes direct aim at China as known U.S. infections double and criticism mounts

Washington Post logoPresident Trump took direct aim at China on Thursday for allowing the spread of the coronavirus that has sickened Americans, shut down much of daily life and pushed the U.S. economy toward recession, while deflecting criticism that his administration was caught flat-footed by the outbreak.

The president dug in on his use of the term “Chinese virus” to describe the novel coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan, China, late last year and did not rule out directing economic retaliation toward Beijing.

“Thank you all for being here, and we continue our relentless effort to defeat the Chinese virus,” Trump said near the top of his combative appearance before reporters at the White House. Continue reading.

‘It’s inadequate’: Rep. Ro Khanna says Trump stimulus plan helps big business — and not workers

AlterNet logoAmid concerns over the spread of coronavirus at polling places, many Americans stayed home. Nearly one in five households have already experienced a layoff or a reduction in work due to the pandemic. Trump wants to inject more than $1 trillion into the economy and send a $1,000 check to everyone. This comes as the Senate is set to consider a multibillion-dollar package bill passed by the Democrat-led House Monday night that includes significantly weakened paid sick leave measures. We get response from California Congressmember Ro Khanna, who has also co-sponsored a bill for an emergency Earned Income Tax Credit that would give up to $6,000 to everyone who made less than $130,000 last year. His Bay Area district has been hit hard by the coronavirus, and about 7 million residents there have been told to stay home for all but the most crucial

AMY GOODMAN: The number of reported cases of coronavirus in the United States has surged to more than 6,200, though the devastating lack of tests means the number infected is exponentially higher. Deaths have topped 107. Millions are staying home to avoid spreading the disease. Nearly one in five households in the United States have already experienced a layoff or work reduction due to the pandemic, according to a new PBS/NPR/Marist poll. On Tuesday, the Trump administration said it will support a plan to inject more than $1 trillion into the U.S. economy to fight the unprecedented drop in economic activity. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the stimulus package would rapidly deliver a $1,000 check to most American adults, with more direct payments likely in the months ahead.

TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN:Americans need cash now, and the president wants to get cash now. And I mean now in the next two weeks.

AMY GOODMAN: Mnuchin called the pandemic “worse than 9/11” for the airline industry and called for a $50 billion bailout. This comes as the Democrat-led House passed a multibillion-dollar package Monday that significantly weakened paid sick leave measures it tried to enact days earlier. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed the House Monday evening after changes were made that were called “technical corrections.” The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that, quote, “Democratic aides were alarmed by the changes, which were passed with no objections because House lawmakers are away from Washington [on recess]. The changes weren’t shown to most lawmakers before the vote,” unquote. Continue reading.

ICE to stop most immigration enforcement inside U.S., will focus on criminals during coronavirus outbreak

Washington Post logoU.S. immigration authorities will temporarily halt enforcement across the United States, except for efforts to deport foreign nationals who have committed crimes or who pose a threat to public safety. The change in enforcement status comes amid the coronavirus outbreak and aims to limit the spread of the virus and to encourage those who need treatment to seek medical help.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said late Wednesday that its Enforcement and Removal Operations division will “delay enforcement actions” and use “alternatives to detention” amid the outbreak, according to a notification the agency sent to Congress.

ICE told members of Congress that its “highest priorities are to promote lifesaving and public safety activities.” Continue reading.