Thread by @ASlavitt

COVID Update April 21: My focus on the Senate Bill, what it means and what’s next. The next bill. And I talked to my hero today about one of our greatest challenge. And he’s even more my hero now.

Will be out with this starting in 30. Follow if interested. 1/

A quiz while you wait if you want:

The first criteria for a state to open up is 14 days of declining tested cases.

1- how many states meet this criteria?
2- what is the longest streak of declining cases?

2/

So the answer is:

0

and

11 - 1 state, 10 - 2 states (and Georgia and Florida are not among them).

3/

So the big event of the day was the Senate bill— PPP. And work beginning on the next CARES bill.

I want to highlight a few of the most important pieces and what comes next. 4/

Here is a summary thread of what’s in the bill. 5/

https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1252659122379653126

There were a few pieces that @USofCare pushed that ended up in the bill that I’m particularly proud of:

-requiring that states report on testing by race, age, ethnicity, gender, geographic region on rates of cases, hospitalizations, deaths

6/

Other things we pushed for were money for health clinics and contact tracing. The context tracing part was only a start. More to come on that as it’s been a big part of the work this week. 7/

As the imbedded thread shows there are plenty of priorities that isn’t get in.

I also wanted hospitals to be required to share data on all COVID patients as a condition of taking the money. I believe I failed at that. 8/

Here’s an analysis of the testing $.

Last night’s tweet thread was about state vs. fed accountability. I had some strong views, so let me tell you my opinion... 9/

I’m actually reasonably satisfied. If states execute the testing and delivery and the feds do all the things to get the supply lines & sourcing & central research done, that’s the right partnership.

We need everyone accountable for their piece. No one can wash their hands.10/

Kudos to @SenAlexander for pushing for big breakthrough ideas to fund dramatic increases in testing. 11/

Anybody have guesses who my hero is before I get there?

Yes I know I’m opening myself up to crazy comments and GIFs. Have at me. Good to have a hero...12/

So after last night running through a litany of small things were not getting right, tonight I will point that we have people thinking big.

Tomorrow or the day after I will reveal a new significant effort here as well. 13/

In tweet 2, everyone got 0. And of course my hero is Joe Exotic.

OK it’s not. I don’t know who that is other than he’s clearly fading in popularity when a health policy dad is ahead of him...14/

So I talked @chefjoseandres today. He’s been trying to avoid catastrophe by keeping America fed in this health crisis.

And for me, working on health has inevitably led me to food. Yes, he’s my hero. 15/

Here’s what I learned:

-40 million Americans are either hungry or n he edge of hunger.
-Chef worries that number can grow even bigger
-Plenty of food is coming out of the ground but it can’t get distributed
-Food banks don’t have adequate refrigeration
16/

-USDA $3 billion for food banks I was excited about is shy by a factor of 10
-Big winner of these funds is often ... PepsiCo and Coca-Cola
-Lack of refrigeration can turn food banks into Snackfood Banks while fresh food sits in the ground 17/

-$16 billion in farmer subsidies so far exclude small farmers (bill today may have helped)— 1000s of farms could be lost
-Public housing breeding ground for spread, no nutrition help/SNAP left OUT of current bill
-“Specialty crops” excluded. What are specialty crops? 18/

-Carrots, green beans— exotic things like that
-Massive problems brewing south of border as migrant workers shut out/can’t earn. Will be significant unrest
-Restaurant distribution not being repurposed for grocery so getting mulched 19/

Before I get to what can be done, I will relay a story here I told Chef.

I was once sitting at a restaurant in DC. At the next table Ben Carson was eating w his wife & another couple. I overheard one comment from the head of HUD: “The homeless think they own the park.” 20/

Chef had a lot of ideas. But he’s my hero because of what he’s doing. Here’s a quote from me that happened to be in today’s newspaper. The question was one I sometimes get about my interest in political office. 21/

chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct…

But there is a ton more:
-He caters 250,000 people every day
-He’s keeping 496 restaurants open by paying them between $6 & $10/meal for people
-He’s creates a video of restaurant protocols so they can remain open to cater
-He’s got protocols to help restaurants safely open 22/

-He’s feeding people in 400 hospitals
-He’s bringing in shipments of N-95 masks & full protection gear
-He’s then distributing masks & equipment to hospitals 23/

As I’m talking to him, he’s getting on planes and still flying places that are hot spots to be sure people are fed on the ground. Every time he sees a problem— whether it’s in his “lane” or not— he just starts solving it. This is why we’re talking. 24/

He worries most people don’t see the size of the hunger crisis coming. And he, like I try to, works the phones all day long— the Administration, USDA, kitchens, restaurants, food banks, distributors, farmers.

So he has ideas. 25/

-He wants USDA sponsored food markets in desserts
-Much more funding for SNAP, usable at all restaurants
-USDA sponsored farmers’ markets in food desserts
-Public health experts & officials in all public housing (I add nursing homes, food plants & prisons to this idea) 26/

Here’s Brodie looking for food desserts.

House will be voting on the Senatw bill and immediately starting on the next bill. There’s a lot to fight for in that bill. 27/

It’s an interesting time to step back and ask what we know (a little) & what we don’t (a lot) & what the biases are. Really excited for that reason that I recorded my conversation w @NateSilver538 for #IntheBubble. /28

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-…

Thanks for sticking with me. And I hope you are safe & handling the personal challenges well.

Thanks to Chef and everyone helping anyone. All are my heroes. /end