Trump administration's response to COVID-19 a disaster: US Sen. Patty Murray
- By Zhu Bochen
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 14, 2020
Senator Patty Murray of Washington state noted at a Senate Hearing on Tuesday that the Trump administration's response to the pandemic so far had been a disaster.
The hearing was live-streamed on YouTube by multiple media outlets.
"President Trump has been more focused on fighting against the truth than fighting this virus," Murray said, speaking remotely during the hearing, "and Americans have sadly paid the price."
Murray referred to the slow progress the White House has made in improving diagnostic test capacity and securing personal protective equipment for frontline health workers and other groups as the U.S. reopens.
Speaking about how the Trump administration has poorly handled this public health emergency, Murray noted that she believes there have been "delays, missteps, corruption and political interference."
Statistics from John Hopkins University showed that, as of May 13, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has exceeded 1.37 million. The death toll from the pandemic in America has reached 82,387, which is far higher than in any other country.
As the pandemic in the U.S. collided with its sprawling public health infrastructure, Murray encouraged engaging in collective efforts to "dig into the facts about where things did go wrong."
"If the president isn't telling the truth, we must and our witnesses must," Murray added.
In regard to the reopening of the U.S., Murray believed that the Trump administration should come up with a specific plan to increase testing, step up efforts to provide more personal protective equipment, reduce educational disparities appearing during distance learning and support the safe resumption of industries and schools.
Murray also urged the White House to introduce more relief packages for workers, students and families, rather than for big businesses.
"People across the country are doing their part…They need their government to do its part too." Murray concluded by calling for the Trump administration to build leadership based on honesty and practical plans.
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