Thread by @ASlavitt

COVID Update June 30: What does the Congress owe us?

Time for them to support the American public through chaos. And the virus. 1/

The American public need these 4 things from the Congress.

The truth
Sustained financial support
Public health commitment for states
Checks & balances please

2/

The public is weary of the false promises, patting the master on the back, changing stories, outright lies, bad medicines, and reluctant admissions out of the White House.

People want to know what’s going on, for how long & what they should do. 3/

People shouldn’t have to rely on Dr. Birx side eye, Dr. Fauci’s encoded prisoner messages, Congressional briefings, and an array of Internet sources to figure out what’s going on. 4/

Congress should commence a daily briefing to lay out for the public a consistent scorecard of actual facts: new cases, hospitalizations, capacity, resources, deaths and details by population group. 5/

They should hire a team of the country’s leading epidemiologists to conduct the briefing. No politics. Just facts and the best information we have on travel, safety, workplace, therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics. 6/

The Senate HELP and House Science Space & Tech Committees should have jurisdiction and budget. Majority and minority should both participate.

I briefed Congress again today. The WH keeps them in the dark as well. It’s time to change that. 7/

https://twitter.com/newdemcoalition/status/1278085710168363008

The second thing Americans should get is sustained financial support including Unemployment Insurance sustained through the duration of the National Emergency and each state’s state of emergency. 8/

Right now Lindsay Graham has said Unemployment Insurance will be renewed over his dead body (which is going to far and completely unnecesary but a good offer). 9/

McConnell has decided not to renew Unemployment Ins but to wait til it ends to get Dems to agree to waive liability for businesses who expose workers or customers to the virus.

Now I don’t know this but I think the only thing less popular than that position is Mitch McConnell.10

Paid family and medical leave for those who don’t feel safe working and higher wages for essential workers along with lifetime medical protection.

We pay taxes to get us through tough times. Do what it takes. 11/

It also means food. @chefjoseandres is on #inthebubble tomorrow to talk about the crisis of hunger. 12/

Smarturl.it/inthebubble

Third is a public health commitment to states & individuals. Passing the ACA improvement legislation would be nice. But Medicaid expansion for non expanding states & a recessionary match (can explain if not clear, leave a note if you like below this tweet) are a minimum. 13/

Here is the proposal the Senate needs to pass to contain the virus with contact tracing & isolation resources. I co-led a bipartisan group to get this done. The House passed.

McConnell, as I may have mentioned, isn’t doing much. 14/

npr.org/2020/04/27/845…

Finally, real checks & balances. Right now Democrats, Mitt Romney, independents, former Republican presidents/MOCs, the Lincoln project, every would leader, many sheepish 2016 Trump voter & Brodie all know the president is just stating as the car heads off the cliff.

This is Brodie. He just can’t believe this guy is in charge. 15/

Checks and balances will mean Republicans saying out loud what they whisper. It will mean that “judges” just aren’t worth it.

It means not Democratic-led House hearings, but full throated bipartisan hearings to hold the White House to account & ensure the public good.16/

Nursing homes safety
Federal prisons & detention centers
FEMA
Factory safety
PPP distribution
Use of FDA EUA
Silencing of scientists
Speed of decision making
Ensuring privacy
Profiteering

All of it. Both parties. Watergate style. 17/

Time for everyone to speak up.

Everyone except Tom Cotton. He should keep his mouth shut. 18/

In tough times, when we’re not getting it elsewhere; leadership has to come from unusual places.

Even Congress. /end

A recessionary match means in the case of a recession, the Federal government would automatically increase the proportion of Medicaid paid for by the Federal government.

It helps ensure states can afford to cover people out of work.