Senator Coons, colleagues introduce resolution to defend New START Treaty, call on Trump to maintain limits on new Russian strategic weapons

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined 16 of his colleagues on a Senate resolution calling on President Donald Trump to immediately extend for another five years the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia as it faces expiration on February 5, 2021, six-months from yesterday.  The bilateral New START Treaty places mutual, verifiable limits on strategic nuclear warheads and deployed and non-deployed strategic delivery systems of both the United States and Russia supported by a verification regime of on-site inspections and routine data-exchanges.  The Senate resolution outlines how the Trump administration can achieve its stated objectives – covering new “exotic” Russian weapons while bringing China into the global arms control regime – starting with a clean five-year extension. Doing so would ensure that the United States and Russia, the two major nuclear-weapon powers, will not be left without an in-force bilateral treaty on strategic arms for the first time since 1972.

In addition to Senator Coons, the bill was introduced by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

A copy of the resolution can be found here.

Experts state that the extension of the START Treaty will cover the only two new Russian strategic systems that are anticipated to be deployed before 2026 – the Avangard hypersonic cruise-missile and a heavy intercontinental ballistic-missile (ICBM), Sarmat. China’s leaders have repeatedly rebuffed Trump administration invitations to formal arms control negotiations. The resolution points out the practical and logistical difficulties of insisting on China’s inclusion in a binding trilateral agreement: China possesses a fraction of the nuclear weapons held by the United States or Russia and history shows that arms control negotiations take multiple years, far longer than the six months until expiration of the New START Treaty. However, the resolution argue that extension of New START can lay the foundation for China, and potentially other nuclear-weapons possessing countries, to engage in multilateral arms control talks to reduce global nuclear risks.

“Extending New START is undoubtedly in the U.S. national security interest,” said Andrew Albertson, Executive Director, Foreign Policy for America. “Not only does extending the treaty limit Russian deployed nuclear weapons, but it provides the U.S. government unparalleled intelligence about Russia’s nuclear weapons systems. Senator Markey’s resolution makes clear that new Russian systems would either be accountable under the treaty or would not be deployed before 2026. And while the Trump administration’s attempts to bring China into nuclear arms control negotiations is a laudable goal, the best way to accomplish that goal would be to extend New START and use the treaty as a framework for negotiations going forward. Foreign Policy for America thanks Senator Markey for making clear that New START should serve as a foundation for nuclear arms control negotiations going forward and urges the swift passage of this important measure.” 

“Seventy-five years after the first nuclear attacks, the threat of nuclear war and nuclear arms racing still poses a threat to the United States and the world,” said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director, Arms Control Association. “We applaud the call in this resolution for the prompt extension of New START, the last remaining treaty that verifiably limits the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals, and follow-on efforts to pursue futher nuclear risk reduction initiatives with other nuclear-armed states. The U.S. public, the U.S. military, and U.S. allies all support New START, which is key to preventing an unconstrained global nuclear arms race.”

“Senator Markey and the co-sponsors of this bill understand that we are six months away from losing all controls over the two largest nuclear arsenals in the world,”Alexandra Bell, Senior Policy Director, Council for a Livable World. “They make the clear and undeniable case that New START is effective and providing critical stability in an unstable world. Nevertheless, the Trump Administration is still inexplicably dragging its feet on the treaty’s extension, putting the American people in danger. Every Senator should add their name to this resolution and take a stand for pragmatic and sensible nuclear arms control.”

“Extending New START for five years is a simple but highly effective way to improve U.S. security while restoring some sense of stability to the international arms control regime that the Trump administration has relentlessly attacked,” said Stephen Young, Senior Washington Representative, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists. “This bill, led by Senator Markey, makes a strong case for extending the treaty and recommends sensible steps with Russia and China that would reduce the nuclear threat. Every senator should cosponsor it; every thoughtful one will do so.”

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Coons, Risch: Sanctioning Tagwirei serves as important step towards curbing corruption in Zimbabwe

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today commended actions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Zimbabwe Sanctions Program, particularly with respect to combating corruption by Zimbabwe’s elites.

“Today’s action by the Department of the Treasury to hold accountable those who perpetrate public corruption, particularly among Zimbabwe’s ruling elite, is commendable and reflects steadfast U.S. commitment to supporting Zimbabweans as they seek to rid their country of corruption,” said the senators. “We are pleased to see the Departments of Treasury and State continue to act on our request from January to update the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list (SDN list) under the Zimbabwe Sanctions Program, and to consider our suggestions.”

“We condemn the ongoing government crackdown against opposition figures, journalists, and citizens who speak out against public corruption and who seek greater accountability from their government,” they continued. “Designating Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings will further diminish the ability of corrupt Zimbabweans to continue to undermine the country’s economic and democratic development as means of self-enrichment and preservation.”

Background: In 2003, the United States began to impose sanctions on select individuals with ties to the ZANU-PF regime and entities known to facilitate human rights abuses, undermine the rule of law, and engage in the looting of state resources for personal or political gain. Following a January 2020 request by Senators Risch and Coons, the U.S. Treasury Department on March 11, 2020, removed four individuals and added Anselem Sanyatwe and Owen Ncube to the SDN list under the Zimbabwe Sanctions Program. On August 5, 2020, the Department designated Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings. The timing of today’s announcement marks the second anniversary of a violent crackdown against citizens protesting flawed elections and the deaths of six protesters killed that day.

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[VIDEO] Yates to Sen. Coons: ‘Very surprised’ Dept. of Justice dismissed Flynn case after he twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) today questioned former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 2” and expressed concern about the politicization of the Department of Justice under Attorney General Bill Barr.

“So when you went to the White House on January 26, you had something serious to tell White House Counsel Don McGahn. You went to tell him, if I understand correctly, that the president’s national security advisor, General Flynn, could be blackmailed because he was lying about the content of his conversations with the Russians. Is there any doubt in your mind that General Flynn lied about his conversations with the Russians?” Sen. Coons asked. “No, there is not,” Yates responded.

When Sen. Coons asked why lying to the FBI strikes at the very heart of the criminal justice system,  Yates responded that it is “the only way that the Department of Justice can go about its job.”

“Given your knowledge of the Flynn case and your 27-year career at Justice, were you surprised when DOJ moved to dismiss the case after General Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI?” Sen. Coons asked. “I was very surprised by that,” Yates responded.

Full video available here. Full transcript available below,

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Feinstein. Thank you, Ms. Yates, for your 27 years of service to the United States Department of Justice and for your testimony here today. Let me just begin at the outset with sort of a framing here. Do you have any doubt that Russia attacked the United States during the 2016 presidential election with the intention of changing the outcome or influencing the outcome of that election?

Ms. Yates: No. 

Sen. Coons: Do you have reason to be concerned that the Russians may in fact be trying to do that again for the 2020 election? 

Ms. Yates: I think all of us should be very concerned about that, Senator. As our intelligence community has tried to tell us. 

Sen. Coons: Let me go back to some issues that have been touched on before but make sure we have had a chance to explore them. Carter Page was never charged in the Russia investigation and out of the whole 448 pages of the Mueller report, only eight pages pertained to Carter Page, but there’s been some focus on it today. So just tell us briefly if you would, when did you learn of the errors in the Carter Page FISA application?

Ms. Yates: Long after I left office.

Sen. Coons: And when that FISA application reached your desk as Deputy Attorney General after several layers of departmental review, what were you looking for? When you reviewed that, what were you looking for and what was appropriate for you to be looking for? 

Ms. Yates: Thank you for that, Senator, because I would like to explain what the process is for FISA. I was looking to determine whether or not, given the facts that had been sworn to in the affidavit from the FBI, whether that met the legal standard for FISA. And you’re right, it’s not just several layers of review. There were seven different layers of review at the Department of Justice, and I would expect a similar number of layers of review at the FBI. There had been quite a good bit of back-and-forth before the original FISA was signed. It was about a month of back-and-forth between the national security division lawyers and the agents at the FBI. 

Sen. Coons: When you did ultimately learn that there were errors in that, did that strike you as inappropriate, uncalled for, in violation of practice and tradition?

Ms. Yates: Absolutely. And, as I’ve said, not only was it unacceptable, but I have great concern about how this impacts the department’s credibility both with the FISA court and otherwise. And that’s why it is incumbent upon department lawyers and agents, not just in a high-profile case, but in any case, to work hard to be absolutely scrupulously accurate in every single document that is filed.

Sen. Coons: So when you went to the White House on January 26, you had something serious to tell White House Counsel Don McGahn. You went to tell him, if I understand correctly, that the president’s national security advisor, General Flynn, could be blackmailed because he was lying about the content of his conversations with the Russians. Is there any doubt in your mind that General Flynn lied about his conversations with the Russians?

Ms. Yates: No, there is not. 

Sen. Coons: General Flynn, in fact, pled guilty to lying to the FBI. Some have called lying to the FBI, which is a felony by the way, a process crime. Could you explain why lying to the FBI in the context that we’re talking about here strikes at the very heart of the criminal justice system? 

Ms. Yates: Certainly, Senator. Well first, in connection with any investigation, the only way that the Department of Justice can go about its job is if people when they are interviewed by the FBI are truthful and candid and provide complete information. That’s the only way to be able to sift through and figure out what the facts are and to be able to determine if charges should be filed. 

Sen. Coons: Given your knowledge of the Flynn case and your 27-year career at Justice, were you surprised when DOJ moved to dismiss the case after General Flynn had pled guilty to lying to the FBI? 

Ms. Yates: I was very surprised by that.

Sen. Coons: And let me ask a closing question if you could. Why was it important to interview General Flynn? What was the purpose that underlay questioning General Flynn? 

Ms. Yates: General Flynn had had conversations with the Russian ambassador, back-channel secret conversations neutering the sanctions to the U.S. government and had been covering it up, had been providing false information to the Vice President and others to put out publicly. We, we being the government, needed to know what was going on here. Was General Flynn acting on his own or was he working with others? Because the investigators needed to be able to figure out what the relationship was between the campaign and the Russians. Had General Flynn been honest, had he told them the truth in this interview, then the agents would have learned then what they only learned much, much later after he finally told the truth and that is that these were not off-the-cuff conversations that he was having with the Russian ambassador. But rather, that these were conversations that were carefully organized and planned with other members of the Trump transition. And that he had also been very careful to lie about and cover up even to the point of sending his deputy out when the news first broke of this to call the Washington Post and to give them false information, and to say that he had never discussed sanctions at all. The cover-up continued after that as he told lies to more and more people. 

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Ms. Yates. Thank you for your testimony and your service to our nation.

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Leading Senate Democrats demand removal of prejudiced USAID officials

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in condemning the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to install and support unqualified and controversial political appointees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) who espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and homophobic beliefs. In a letter addressed to USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa, the Senators called for the immediate removal of officials whose worldviews threaten to damage USAID’s mission, reputation, and global impact.

“We remain deeply alarmed by ongoing efforts to install and support political appointees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) who have public records of prejudicial views that contravene the Agency’s mission and values, erode Agency staff morale, and are an affront to core American values,” the senators wrote. “Despite our previously expressed concerns, the White House continues to appoint controversial and unqualified people to leadership positions within USAID, reinforcing a disturbing trend and suggesting the Agency, under your leadership, is implementing policies aligned with these offensive views.”

The senators’ letter follows the unceremonious firing of Deputy White House liaison Merritt Corrigan who was let go after she posted a final round of discriminatory tweets. Corrigan’s appointment was initially criticized by Congressional Democrats following her long history of xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ comments.

“It is dangerous and wholly inappropriate for any federal agency — let alone the country’s premier international development and aid agency — to employ leaders who espouse hateful, misogynistic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and homophobic views,” the senators added. “These high-level appointees, as well as your continued defense of their appointment and recent actions to undermine sexual and reproductive health, inhibit the Agency’s ability to live up to its mission to ‘promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.’”

A copy of the letter may be found here and below: 

Dear Acting Administrator Barsa,

We remain deeply alarmed by ongoing efforts to install and support political appointees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) who have public records of prejudicial views that contravene the Agency’s mission and values, erode Agency staff morale, and are an affront to core American values. Despite our previously expressed concerns, the White House continues to appoint controversial and unqualified people to leadership positions within USAID, reinforcing a disturbing trend and suggesting the Agency, under your leadership, is implementing policies aligned with these offensive views. It is dangerous and wholly inappropriate for any federal agency — let alone the country’s premier international development and aid agency — to employ leaders who espouse hateful, misogynistic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and homophobic views. These high-level appointees, as well as your continued defense of their appointment and recent actions to undermine sexual and reproductive health, inhibit the Agency’s ability to live up to its mission to “promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.”

As you are aware, recently appointed USAID religious freedom adviser Mark Kevin Lloyd called Islam a “barbaric cult.”[1] Deputy White House liaison Merritt Corrigan has repeatedly expressed anti-immigrant opinions. And, despite public and Congressional scrutiny over these political appointees, Tera Dahl, who has repeatedly expressed Islamophobic opinions, was recently appointed as senior adviser at the Agency.[2]

We are also increasingly concerned with the anti-women, anti-choice, and anti-LGBTQ biases held by these and other political appointees at USAID. Lloyd has referred to prominent women politicians with derogatory and demeaning language. Corrigan has criticized “female empowerment,” sexual and reproductive health efforts, and used derogatory anti-LGBT language such as “homo-empire” and “tyrannical LGBT agenda.”[3] In the face of heightened criticism, she doubled-down and continued to publicly flaunt her prejudices, claiming that “gay marriage isn’t marriage,” just hours prior to being let go on August 3.[4] Patrina Mosley, recently appointed as advisor to the Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, has made false claims against the UN and WHO while promoting an anti-abortion agenda.[5] Lastly, Bethany Kozma, who was recently promoted from senior adviser for women’s empowerment to deputy chief of staff at the agency, has described the United States as a “pro-life” nation and spoken extensively and derisively of trans people and trans issues.[6] Taken together with your May 18 letter to UN Secretary-General Guterres demanding the removal of references to “sexual and reproductive health” from the UN’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19, we fear that USAID has become politicized to the point of compromising the organization’s mission — using the agency’s resources to denigrate women and LGBTQ rights instead of focusing on the advancement of women and LGBTQ communities.

Furthermore, we are concerned with USAID political leadership’s efforts to revise the USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy to eliminate references to the term “gender”, which excludes and ostracizes transgender and gender non-conforming individuals by insisting that gender is binary. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is already creating the conditions for the dramatic escalation of violence against women and girls, which were already at pandemic proportions, the perpetuation of a debate over whether sexual and reproductive health should continue to be included in the policy is disrupting longstanding efforts to improve health outcomes for women and girls around the world. While updating policy guidance is a necessary function of the agency, updates should build and expand upon the previous policy, which was inclusive of and recognized the unique discrimination and barriers to equality faced by people with different gender identities, and sexual orientations, and called for all women to realize their rights and determine their own life outcomes. And updating policy should never be used as an excuse to deny essential services.

We urge you to correct course to prevent and mitigate the politicization of the Agency by removing appointees who harm the Agency’s mission and staff morale and threaten to damage USAID’s mission, reputation, and global impact. While we appreciate your swift action in dismissing Ms. Corrigan following her further troubling statements, an individual with a history of divisive statements should not have been appointed to USAID in the first place.[7] We encourage you to recommit to the USAID mission and avoid pursuing policies rooted in bigoted and prejudiced worldviews. Barring the resignation of these political appointees from their posts at USAID, these officials must address their previous statements and reaffirm their commitment to USAID’s mission, including the advancement of women and girls, Muslim communities, and LGBTQ communities.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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Sen. Coons pushes for health and social service workforce to fight COVID-19

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), along with a working group of Senate Democrats, sent a letter to Senate and House leadership urging the inclusion of the Force to Fight COVID-19 joint proposal in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package. The proposal combines seven health and social service workforce bills into one dynamic package that would combat the unprecedented economic and public health crisis, support efforts to address its wide-ranging harms, address the racial and ethnic health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, and strengthen America’s infrastructure to prepare for future health and social challenges. Specific provisions of the plan include a community-based public health workforce, boosts to FEMA for supply chain logistics, public health workforce loan repayments, investments in health services training, grant programs for nursing, expansion of national service programs that provide an array of social services, creation of career pathways for young Americans, and more. The Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal would address the workforce needs to respond to the pandemic, such as testing and health monitoring, as well as the broad social consequences of the pandemic, including by supporting educators and food banks.

The working group consists of Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). 

“We write to urge Senate and House leadership to include our Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal in the upcoming coronavirus relief package,” wrote the senators. “Our comprehensive plan includes bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would address the dual health and economic toll of the coronavirus crisis by investing in jobs and health, and social services. The Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal responds to immediate pandemic-related health challenges, creates community-based jobs and service opportunities to spur our economy, addresses the alarming racial and ethnic health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, and strengthens our infrastructure to prepare America against future health threats. Congress must act to support the workforces required to fight COVID-19 and its broad consequences so Americans can get back to work, school, and their lives.”

The legislation included in the Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal is based off of existing bills, including: The Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act, the Health Force and Resilience Force Act, the Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act, the Coronavirus Containment Corps Act, the Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act, the Strengthening America’s Health Care Readiness Act (or the Health Heroes Act), and the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act. Versions of legislation in this proposal have Republican support, and all bills have endorsements from advocate, academic, and industry groups. 

The Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal

National Service Legislation

• Strengthening and Expanding AmeriCorps: An expansion of social services-focused national service programs for a three-year period to their current authorization, extending opportunity to up to 250,000 Americans per year to combat food insecurity, assist educators, build capacity at community-based organizations, and help with COVID-19 recovery and response, while providing an improved living allowance and pathway to higher education for participants. Based on bills led by Senator Coons and cosponsored by Senators Reed, Klobuchar, Duckworth, Heinrich, Markey, Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Durbin, King, Smith, Shaheen, Udall, Stabenow, Brown, Hirono, Harris, and Booker.

Public Health Service Legislation 

• The Health Force + Jobs to Fight COVID-19: A federally funded, locally led, community-based public health workforce with core components of the Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act. Based on legislation by Senators Gillibrand, Bennet, Schatz, Blumenthal, Booker, Duckworth, Feinstein, Harris, Klobuchar, Reed, Rosen, and Smith.

• National Coronavirus Monitoring Strategy (Coronavirus Containment Corps): A national strategy to boost and coordinate efforts to monitor and prevent COVID-19. Based on legislation by Senators Warren, Merkley, and Smith.

• Resilience Force: A FEMA CORE surge workforce to assist with supply chain logistics and emergency procurement of medical/PPE/testing supplies, support testing and contact tracing activities, and to carry out disaster preparedness and response functions. Based on legislation by Senators Markey and Van Hollen.

• Strengthening the Public Health Workforce: Reauthorization and improvement of the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program to provide education loan repayment assistance to people who work in a state, local, or Tribal public health department. Based on legislation by Senators Smith and Booker.

Clinical Health Service Legislation

• Strengthening America’s Health Care Readiness (Health Heroes): A historic investment in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Nurse Corps programs to provide scholarship and loan repayment for the graduate education costs of tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, and other clinicians in order to help address health workforce shortages, medical disparities, and gaps in emergency preparedness that have been magnified by the pandemic. Based on bipartisan legislation by Senator Durbin and Senator Rubio with Senators Duckworth, Blumenthal, Stabenow, Merkley, Jones, Klobuchar, Hirono, Gillibrand, Smith, Sanders, Harris, Baldwin, and Rosen.

• Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN): A grant program for nursing education in rural, underserved areas, or minority serving institutions to enhance preparedness, quickly respond to public health emergencies and pandemics, enroll students underrepresented in the nursing workforce, and modernize nursing education and infrastructure. Based on legislation by Senator Merkley.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

August 5, 2020 

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy, 

We write to urge Senate and House leadership to include our Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal in the upcoming coronavirus relief package. Our comprehensive plan includes bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would address the dual health and economic toll of the coronavirus crisis by investing in jobs and health, and social services. The Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal responds to immediate pandemic-related health challenges, creates community-based jobs and service opportunities to spur our economy, addresses the alarming racial and ethnic health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, and strengthens our infrastructure to prepare America against future health threats. Congress must act to support the workforces required to fight COVID-19 and its broad consequences so Americans can get back to work, school, and their lives.

Every community in America is unique, and so too is each community response to the threats the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose. Our Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal provides state and local governments with flexible funding to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and service positions within their own communities across the country. Americans need resources and coordination in order to save lives, end the pandemic, its broader social consequences, and get our lives to “normal.” In addition to critical COVID-19 testing and monitoring work, Congress must provide state and local governments with significant resources to strengthen the health care response in our overburdened hospitals and clinics, and build a community-based service workforce capable of tackling this pandemic and all future health challenges. We must create career pathways for young Americans disconnected from education and job opportunities, and who could be mobilized to fill critical functions in our COVID-19 response.

We are proposing an immediate “shot in the arm” to our health care response that will in turn accelerate our economic recovery. The American health and service workforce should be able to respond to public health and social emergencies as well as long-term public health needs across diverse communities to keep our economy open, productive, and successful. We will face future pandemics and other major health threats that harm our economy. If we do not learn from our experiences with the coronavirus pandemic, we will find ourselves closing down again as we scramble to respond to the next great national health threat. Our Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal would make our economy resilient and prepared to withstand national challenges like an infectious disease, a biological weapon, or future unknown health threats.

Our Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal Force would address health inequities by investing in hard-hit communities and promoting representation in the health workforce among racial and ethnic minorities bearing the disproportionate burden of this pandemic. A more diverse workforce that recruits from and serves communities of color means a more developed pipeline for medical, nursing, and health professionals that results in a more inclusive health system.

The Force to Fight COVID-19 Proposal is composed of the following legislation, including bipartisan bills:

Public Health Service Legislation

·       The Health Force + Jobs to Fight COVID-19: A federally funded, locally led, community-based public health workforce with core components of the Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act.

·       National Coronavirus Monitoring Strategy (Coronavirus Containment Corps): A national strategy to boost and coordinate efforts to monitor and prevent COVID-19. 

·       Resilience Force: A FEMA CORE surge workforce to assist with supply chain logistics and emergency procurement of medical/PPE/testing supplies, support testing and contact tracing activities, and to carry out disaster preparedness and response functions.

·       Strengthening the Public Health Workforce: Reauthorization and improvement of the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program to provide education loan repayment assistance to people who work in a state, local, or Tribal public health department. 

Clinical Health Service Legislation

·       Health Heroes: A historic investment in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Nurse Corps programs to provide scholarship and loan repayment for the graduate education costs of tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, and other clinicians in order to help address health workforce shortages, medical disparities, and gaps in emergency preparedness that have been magnified by the pandemic.

·       Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN): A grant program for nursing education in rural, underserved areas, or minority serving institutions to enhance preparedness, quickly respond to public health emergencies and pandemics, enroll students underrepresented in the nursing workforce, and modernize nursing education and infrastructure. 

National Service Legislation

·       Strengthening and Expanding AmeriCorps: An expansion of social services-focused national service programs for a three-year period to their current authorization, extending opportunity to up to 250,000 Americans per year to combat food insecurity, assist educators, build capacity at community-based organizations, and help with COVID-19 recovery and response, while putting unemployed young Americans on a pathway to employment.

Sincerely,

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on state and local government funding: ‘these aren’t just faceless bureaucrats in gray buildings’

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday on the Christian Broadcasting Network, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called for critical funding to support state and local governments in the upcoming COVID-19 relief bill.

“Over 1.5 million public employees have already been laid off due to the dramatic revenue shortfalls that state and local governments are facing,” said Senator Coons. “These aren’t just faceless bureaucrats in gray buildings. They’re teachers, they’re police officers, they’re paramedics, they’re nurses. There’s no money in the HEALS Act proposed by the majority here in the Senate, and there is robust money, about $875 billion, in the HEROES Act that the House passed more than two months ago. Somewhere in the middle, there’s got to be a point where we can come to agreement.” 

When asked about timing of the upcoming relief package, Senator Coons stated,“I’m hoping and praying for this week because, frankly, my phone is blowing up with folks from Delaware who are calling to ask when are you going to get this done? I know how urgent this situation is for folks who are facing eviction. Something like 30% of Delawareans are facing the possibility of eviction because a moratorium on eviction either in many states or from federally-insured mortgages has come to an end, so the combination of all of these factors, Jenna, the loss of the unemployment insurance, the loss of protection for eviction, continued job loss as the economy continues to sink is creating a lot of pressure on families. My hope is we’ll get it done this week.”

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below.

Q: As negotiations for the latest relief measure continue, what are some of the key sticking points you and members of your party don’t see any wiggle room on?

Sen. Coons: Well, one of our core concerns is more support for state and local governments. Over 1.5 million public employees have already been laid off due to the dramatic revenue shortfalls that state and local governments are facing. And Jenna, these aren’t just faceless bureaucrats in gray buildings. They’re teachers, they’re police officers, they’re paramedics, they’re nurses. There’s no money in the HEALS Act proposed by the majority here in the Senate, and there is robust money, about $875 billion, in the HEROES Act that the House passed more than two months ago. Somewhere in the middle, there’s got to be a point where we can come to agreement.

Q: On extra employment aid, some Republicans say we’re paying some people more to stay home which hurts the workforce and the economy. Senator, remind everyone how lawmakers originally came up with that $600 figure.

Sen. Coons: Well it was a bit of a mess, Jenna. I’ll remind you that four months ago when we passed the CARES Act, the economy was in freefall, millions of people were losing their jobs, and we tried to craft a more responsive solution that varied from state to state because some states have an unemployment insurance program that provides just $275, which is the lowest in the country. That’s in Florida and Alabama. Other states, Delaware is in the $400 range. Some in the $600 [range]. New Jersey and Massachusetts are more like [$700] or $800, so there’s a very wide range of unemployment insurance benefits across the country. We tried to come up with a program where no one would get more on unemployment than they got at work, but the federal Department of Labor and state departments of labor told us that their IT systems are too outdated to make that work, so we took an average. $600 is an average of the gap between what folks were losing as they were losing their jobs in terms of their earned income and what they were getting from their states to try and encourage people, frankly, in the first weeks of this national pandemic to stay home. Now, here we are four months later, and we need to find a solution that works. 

Q: Senator, when do you think we might see an agreement. Should we be looking out for a specific day or week?

Sen. Coons: Well, I’m hoping and praying for this week because, frankly, my phone is blowing up with folks from Delaware who are calling to ask when are you going to get this done? I know how urgent this situation is for folks who are facing eviction. Something like 30% of Delawareans are facing the possibility of eviction because a moratorium on eviction either in many states or from federally-insured mortgages has come to an end, so the combination of all of these factors, Jenna, the loss of the unemployment insurance, the loss of protection for eviction, continued job loss as the economy continues to sink is creating a lot of pressure on families. My hope is we’ll get it done this week.

Q: One thing you’ve championed in this relief package is expanding national service programs like AmeriCorps. Talk about your effort there and why it’s so important.

Sen. Coons: Well, the CORPS Act, which is being led by Senator Roger Wicker and I – Senator Wicker is from Mississippi, a conservative Republican. He’s joined by seven other Republican cosponsors. They’ve joined with a group of Democrats, myself and Senator Duckworth of Illinois, Senator Booker of New Jersey, Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota. Many of us have seen the very real impact that national service has on communities, on the young people who typically serve in AmeriCorps. This is a state-directed program that is a partnership between nonprofits of all kinds and the federal government. The federal government provides support for their living stipends, for an education award that they earn through service to our country, and that it’s designed and run locally, so nonprofits of all kinds engage younger Americans in dealing with hunger, in helping rebuild homes, in supporting public health and outreach, in strengthening our schools. There are 75,000 young people serving in AmeriCorps right now. Our bill would double that number, and in a year when millions of Americans have seen either their job prospects or their path toward higher education going sideways or backwards, this would be a great way to recognize the importance of giving back to our country and to provide an opportunity for folks to gain some skills.

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Coons-Wicker CORPS Act gains key bipartisan cosponsors as COVID relief negotiations continue

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) announced that Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Democratic Whip, are signing on to cosponsor the bipartisan Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act. The CORPS Act would expand national service programs significantly to help the country respond to and recover from COVID-19. The senators are working to include it in the COVID-19 relief bill currently being negotiated in the Senate.

“Many of us have seen the very real impact that national service has on our communities and the young people who serve,” Senator Coons said. “As our country works to respond to and recover from this pandemic, we should empower the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are ready to roll up their sleeves and serve their communities – whether it’s helping to combat hunger, strengthen our schools, or build capacity at community-based organizations. Senator Wicker and I are grateful for the support of Senator Blunt, Senator Durbin, and our colleagues, and look forward to working with them to include this important effort in the COVID-19 relief bill currently being considered in the Senate.”  

“Helping our nation respond to and recover from the coronavirus outbreak will require an all-hands approach,” Senator Wicker said. “Boosting the ranks of our service corps is a cost-efficient way to get communities the help they need. I am glad to join Senator Coons in introducing the CORPS Act, which would enhance our national service programs and provide participants with the resources they need to endure this crisis. With their contributions, I am hopeful our nation can emerge stronger than ever before.”

“Americans are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the same way they’ve always responded to major national challenges – with an eagerness to do whatever they can to help their neighbors and communities make it through this crisis,” said Senator Blunt. “National service organizations have the infrastructure in place to connect people who want to serve with opportunities to fill critical needs in their communities. I’m proud to join Senators Coons and Wicker on this bill to expand the capacity of national service organizations to mobilize support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Whether running food pantries, mentoring at local schools, or helping patients receive proper health care, young men and women have made their communities stronger by answering the call to serve our country through national service programs. As Americans face the COVID-19 crisis, we must support and expand the service programs that offer critical leadership to those in need,” said Senator Durbin. “Along with my other efforts to bolster our health care workforce capacity, I’m proud to join my colleagues in leading the expansion of national service programs to offer Americans the opportunity to support their neighbors and help our country recover from the damage the COVID-19 pandemic has left in its wake.”

In addition to Coons, Wicker, Blunt, and Durbin, the CORPS Act is cosponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Angus King (I-Maine), and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

The bill has gained the support of more than 160 organizations, including Voices for National Service, America’s Service Commissions, Service Year Alliance, FoodCorps, the Catholic Volunteer Network, and The Corps Network. 

The CORPS Act would quickly double the number of AmeriCorps positions available to 150,000 and provide a total of 600,000 service opportunities nationwide over the next three years to unemployed youth and others looking to assist their communities. These positions could support a variety of response and recovery efforts based on community needs, including expanding food pantry capacity, mentoring and tutoring at-risk students, bridging health inequities by expanding access to COVID-19 screening and testing, and more. 

For a one-pager, please click here.

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Sen. Coons, colleagues urge Trump Admin to address reports of retaliation among workers of color who report COVID-19 workplace concerns

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and 19 other colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding reports that workers of color face disproportionate acts of retaliation when reporting workplace concerns related to COVID-19. A recentreport by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) found one in eight workers has perceived retaliatory actions from employers for raising safety concerns related to the pandemic. Furthermore, the report showed that Black and Latino workers were more likely to see retaliation in the workplace than white workers. Black and Latino workers were also more likely than white workers to have their COVID-19 concerns go unaddressed by their employers.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, workers who report workplace hazard concerns to their employers or OSHA are protected from being retaliated against from their employer. Without these whistleblower protections, employers could fire or punish workers who speak out.

“We write today with serious concerns regarding reports that workers of color face disproportionate acts of retaliation when reporting workplace concerns related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,” the senators wrote to DOL Secretary Eugene Scalia and OSHA Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt. “To date, federal OSHA has received over 5,000 complaints related to COVID-19, yet it has only issued a handful of citations, one of which was a reporting violation. As workers who were home at the start of the pandemic begin to return to work, these concerns of unsafe workplaces will only grow.”

“We are troubled by recent reports that employers have taken retaliatory actions against workers, specifically workers of color, who have asked that their concerns regarding COVID-19 be addressed,” the senators added. “A June data brief released by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) found that Black and Latino workers were more likely than white workers to report that they or someone at work may have been punished or fired for raising concerns about COVID-19 in the workplace.” 

“Workers need to trust that OSHA will enforce whistleblower protections to shield them against retaliation when reporting workplace hazards, and hold bad employers accountable. Without confidence in OSHA, as the report illustrates, employers will be free to silence and punish Black and Latino workers,” the senators concluded before outlining a series of questions about the number of investigations, complaints and completed cases to date.

In addition to Coons and Menendez, the letter was signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

Senator Coons is also an original cosponsor of the COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 (S.3677) to require the Department of Labor to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard, based on CDC guidance, to protect all workers from exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace.

The text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Secretary Scalia and Assistant Secretary Sweatt:

We write today with serious concerns regarding reports that workers of color face disproportionate acts of retaliation when reporting workplace concerns related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 is the worst public health crisis in a century, with four million recorded infections and over 150,000 American lives lost in just a few short months. With the lack of specific, enforceable standards issued from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on COVID-19, essential employees who are on the front lines are rightfully concerned that their employers are not taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at their workplaces. To date, federal OSHA has received over 5,000 complaints related to COVID-19, yet it has only issued a handful of citations, one of which was a reporting violation.   As workers who were home at the start of the pandemic begin to return to work, these concerns of unsafe workplaces will only grow. 

We are troubled by recent reports that employers have taken retaliatory actions against workers, specifically workers of color, who have asked that their concerns regarding COVID-19 be addressed. A June data brief released by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) found that Black and Latino workers were more likely than white workers to report that they or someone at work may have been punished or fired for raising concerns about COVID-19 in the workplace.  Employers were twice as likely to retaliate against Black workers as white workers. In addition, employers were two times less likely to address Black workers’ concerns than their white peers. These disturbing statistics are a stark illustration of one of many barriers communities of color face in overcoming this pandemic.

According to NELP, Black and Latino workers would be more willing to speak out against employers if there were strong legal protections that would protect them from being punished or fired. Instead, workers avoid addressing issues of COVID-19 in the workplace altogether, out of fear of retribution from employers. Moreover, OSHA’s failure to implement specific, enforceable standards on COVID-19 only exacerbates the existing challenges Black and Latino workers face. 

It is long past time for every part of the federal government, including OSHA, to take a hard look at the systemic racism, inequality, and biases that are layered into every facet of our society. The same communities of color that have long suffered discrimination are now being disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent findings from NELP on employer retaliation against workers of color is but one of the many types of prejudices these communities continue to endure. As the nation’s top watchdog for worker safety, OSHA should bring justice to all workers facing punishment for speaking out, and it should resolve the implicit and explicit racial biases that underlie employer retaliation which disproportionately impacts Black and Latino workers. Workers need to trust that OSHA will enforce whistleblower protections to shield them against retaliation when reporting workplace hazards, and hold bad employers accountable. Without confidence in OSHA, as the report illustrates, employers will be free to silence and punish Black and Latino workers.

In light of the findings in the report, please respond to the following questions no later than August 14, 2020:

•           What are the total number of on board whistleblower investigators and supervisory investigators at OSHA for each year from 2013 through 2020?

•           To date, how many COVID-19 related whistleblower complaints (i.e. COVID-19 related 11 C complaints) has OSHA received? How many of these complaints have been docketed? Please provide a breakdown of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes of these complaints.

•           How many of these complaint investigations have been completed? How many are ongoing?

•           How many of the complaints involved workers being fired or terminated for allegedly exercising their rights under the OSH Act?

•           Of the completed cases, in how many cases has OSHA found employers to be in violation of whistleblower protection laws? In how many cases has OSHA found employers not in violation?

•           Are you aware of disproportionate higher rates of retaliation cases against Black and Latino workers? If yes, how long as OSHA been aware and what has OSHA done to address the issue?

Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter. OSHA needs an effective, and reliable whistleblower protection program to protect marginalized workers from workplace retaliation. We look forward to your prompt response to our questions.

Sincerely, 

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Sen. Coons introduces bill to ensure ‘gig’ workers and freelancers can access unemployment benefits

10 senators unveil legislation to fix unemployment relief for self-employed and ‘gig’ workers

The Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act would ensure independent workers and self-employed Americans with both 1099 compensation and W-2 wages aren’t disqualified from participating in critical unemployment benefits

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and 7 other senators introduced the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act of 2020 to help ensure Americans who earn a living through a mix of traditional (W-2) and independent employment income (1099) can fully access the financial relief made available under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program.

Following March passage of the CARES Act, states were directed to establish PUA to distribute benefits to workers who would normally not be eligible for unemployment assistance, such as self-employed workers or freelancers, to help them stay afloat during the COVID-19 economic crisis. However, the program has unintentionally disqualified these non-traditional workers from participating in the PUA program if they have mixed sources of income that make them eligible to receive the minimum benefit in regular unemployment insurance. This affects any primarily self-employed or independent worker who receives a secondary source of W-2 income, such as working part-time as a server or caterer, retail worker, entertainment worker, or otherwise are hired by a company part-time as an employee.  

“In today’s economy, millions of Americans classify as freelance workers or ‘gig’ workers, and those men and women are being impacted by the pandemic and our economic crisis just like everyone else,” said Senator Coons.  “The expanded unemployment benefits passed by Congress in response to the pandemic have kept millions of Americans out of poverty, and we need to ensure that support continues for all American workers who can’t yet go back to work at no fault of their own. A glitch in the program has caused many Delawareans with both wage and self-employed income to receive an unfairly low benefit. Our bill will ensure that freelance and ‘gig’ workers get the fair unemployment benefit they need to endure this pandemic.”

“As the nation continues to deal with the economic devastation caused by COVID-19, we’ve got to ensure that workers have the assistance they need to cope with the dire financial straits many are unexpectedly finding themselves in,” said Senator Warner. “While Congress extended a lifeline under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, a large swath of gig and independent workers were unexpectedly left out from receiving the full benefits they are entitled to. Today, we’re introducing a commonsense fix to help millions of independent, freelance, and entrepreneurial workers who were left out of this critical safety net at no fault of their own.”

“In the current economic crisis we must do all we can to support Americans who have been forced to go without work,“ said Senator Smith. “Earlier this year, Congress enacted a historic expansion of unemployment insurance, but some people who worked multiple jobs have found themselves in an unintended no man’s land between unemployment programs that has resulted in drastically reduced unemployment compensation. I’ve heard directly from several Minnesota workers caught in this position who are now struggling to get by. That’s why I’m working to fix this problem and help these families get the assistance they need during difficult times.”    

According to recent figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as many as 1 in 10 American workers may presently participate in the labor market with gig, independent, and self-employed work as their primary form of occupation. Last week, based on the unadjusted data released by the U.S. Department of Labor, 2 million Americans filed new unemployment claims – 1.2 million for regular unemployment insurance and almost 1 million for the PUA program. The data also indicates that 33.8 million Americans are either receiving unemployment benefits or have applied and are awaiting approval. Out of the total number of unemployment claims, more than 15 million have been for the PUA program.

The Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act would:

·       Allow workers who earn a minimum of $7,250 independent (e.g. 1099) income to request reconsideration into receiving PUA benefits instead of regular state unemployment compensation.

·       Allow states to opt-in to implement this expanded coverage for mixed earners, acknowledging that not every state will be ready to implement this change.

In addition to Coons, Warner, and Smith, the bill was introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). A copy of the bill text can be found here. Companion legislation was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Judy Chu (D-Calif.).

The legislative fix comes on the heels of a letter sent by the ten senators to urge Senate leaders to ensure that these workers who have mixed forms of income can access the PUA program – which is available through December 2020 – as negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats continue.

“It is clear that allowing workers in alternative work arrangements to access the PUA program is an important lifeline for many during this crisis,” the senators wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Finance. “However, for workers whose primary source of income is independent, freelance, or self-employed work but who also receive some W-2 wages as a secondary source of income – such as working part-time as a server or caterer, retail worker, entertainment worker, or otherwise are hired by a company part-time as an employee – an exclusion leaves them without access to a safety net for their primary source of income. Specifically, we hope that modification of the PUA program can be made to allow individuals with over $7,250 in self-employed income to request a reconsideration of their PUA eligibility, where both their 1099 and W-2 income will be aggregated for their weekly benefit calculation. Acknowledging that some states will be better positioned than others to implement this, participation in the fix to the PUA process should be optional for individual states.”

The bill text can be found here. A list of organization endorsements can be found here.

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Sen. Coons calls for more research on COVID-19 in children as schools face decisions on 2020-21 academic year

WILMINGTON, Del. — U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) wrote a letter urging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prioritize a pediatric COVID-19 research agenda, concerned with how little is known about the disease’s impacts on children. With many educators and students returning to classrooms for the 2020-21 academic year, the senator is pushing for more research into the long-term effects of the virus on the nation’s youth. Senator Coons requested investigations into the influence of the virus on adolescents, more research on pediatric COVID-related health disparities, the social and mental health impacts of the pandemic on children, developing therapies and vaccines for youth, and other pediatric COVID-19 related topics that lack a substantial body of research at this point.

“We write to ask the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prioritize research focused on the impact of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on children and adolescents. While preliminary evidence suggests children are less vulnerable overall to the virus than other age groups, there is still more to be researched as demonstrated by recent reports of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) linked to the novel coronavirus,” wrote Senator Coons. “Given the critical nature of this pandemic, we urge the NIH to commit to an appropriately focused SARS-CoV-2 pediatric research agenda.”

The full letter is available here and below. 

Dear Director Collins and Director Bianchi:

We write to ask the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prioritize research focused on the impact of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on children and adolescents.

While preliminary evidence suggests children are less vulnerable overall to the virus than other age groups, there is still more to be researched as demonstrated by recent reports of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) linked to the novel coronavirus.

Given the critical nature of this pandemic, we urge the NIH to commit to an appropriately focused SARS-CoV-2 pediatric research agenda that builds on projects like the previously announced HEROS study exploring rates of infection between children with asthma and those without asthma. In addition to HEROS and the recently announced study to evaluate the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 therapies on children that will be supported by the Pediatric Trials Network, we are asking the NIH to propose and submit a comprehensive COVID-19 pediatric and adolescent research agenda and to consider:

• A nationwide and appropriately powered longitudinal study looking at the near, mid, and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on children’s health, including complications that may arise in the years to come.
• Research into how children in different communities have been affected by COVID-19, including Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and research into what, if any, racial, ethnic, geographic, or other disparities have emerged in both testing and treatment for COVID-19 and the possible causes of and solutions for reducing these health disparities.
• Studies seeking to understand the risk and protective factors children may produce against COVID-19 antigens.
• Research exploring the social, emotional, and behavioral challenges linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impacts of social distancing, time out of the traditional school setting, stress as a result of parent or guardian job loss and other economic challenges, and the traumatic impact of substance abuse by both children and parents or guardians.
• Identification of the basic research needs focused on how the novel coronavirus impacts on children and adolescents.
• Research and clinical trials focused on developing precision therapies or vaccines for COVID-19 focused specifically on children and adolescents.

Thank you for your leadership during this pandemic and we look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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