Friends, 

This morning I led a conference call with House Republicans and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Task Force, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Doctor Anthony Fauci, and Doctor Deborah Birx gave us the latest information on the federal response to this crisis.

The Vice President discussed the unprecedented steps the Administration is taking to protect the health and welfare of the American people. He described in detail the Administration’s work to get medical supplies and equipment to the hardest hit areas, as well as to massively expand testing and provide funding for research into groundbreaking therapeutic and vaccine treatments. He also noted that evidence of stabilization continues to be seen in areas of the country with the most significant outbreaks as a result of the mitigation strategies and social distancing the American people are implementing.

The Vice President and the Treasury Secretary also described the historic efforts underway in partnership with Congress to provide relief during the economic challenge caused by the pandemic. He thanked Congress for passing legislation to respond to the public health crisis and provide economic security for Americans across the country.

I also participated today in a call with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses to discuss the impact of our public health and economic crisis.

Rep. Cheney On Fox News Radio: At a Time When We Should Be Coming Together, Speaker Pelosi’s Partisanship is Damaging for the Country

This afternoon, I joined “The Guy Benson Show” on Fox News Radio to discuss how Speaker Nancy Pelosi is causing damage to the country by focusing on partisanship instead of coming together across party lines during this time. Listen to the full interview here, and see an excerpt of the transcript below:

GUY BENSON: Pelosi then, just a few days later, said we are rolling out this select committee, she called it bipartisan and she framed it as oversight for the huge relief bill. She put Jim Clyburn in charge of it. It seems like a political move, especially given what Adam Schiff had to say. I wonder what your reaction was to that and the extent to which House Republicans plan to cooperate with whatever this thing is going to be? 

REP. LIZ CHENEY: I just think Guy, that it is really sad for the country that at this moment which, if there were ever a time when we ought to be coming together across party lines, the House of Representatives is led by Speaker Pelosi. Her initial and immediate reaction to everything is partisanship and to attack the President and attack the Administration, and it’s really damaging for the country. I think you’ve seen multiple oversight entities that have been created both by the legislation that we’ve passed as well as already existing

BENSON: Right.

REP. CHENEY: I think that the American people want to see the economy get going again, they want to see us be able to unleash the kind of innovation that we have in this country in the private sector to find the therapeutics, to develop the vaccine, to defeat the virus which we all can, but we got to work together. Frankly, Speaker Pelosi didn’t have any credibility to lose, but what she’s doing now is wasting really valuable time and really valuable resources. When she insists on appropriating money for the National Endowment of the Arts, tens of millions of dollars right now for things like that. 

BENSON: Changing election laws? 

REP. CHENEY: Yes, exactly. And those are all things that are fundamentally, ultimately damaging for the nation, and she ought to quit it. 

Paycheck Protection Program Update:

Yesterday, the Trump Administration announced that it would be working with Congressional leaders to approve additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In the midst of this global health crisis and global economic crisis, we need to help Americans who are hurting. We can do that by quickly providing more funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.
 
The spread of the coronavirus has created economic uncertainty for many across the country, and the Paycheck Protection Program is an important resource that allows Wyoming small businesses to keep their employees on payroll, providing crucial economic relief during this unprecedented crisis.

Funding for a program that is this important cannot be allowed to run dry and should not be subject to partisan games. I applaud President Trump and Secretary Mnuchin for their fast action to provide resources for America’s workers and small businesses, and I support Leader McConnell’s decision to move quickly to pass the necessary additional legislation. The House must also move promptly to provide crucial aid for Americans in need.

Wyoming small business owners, ranchers, farmers, non-profits, and religious organizations can find additional background about PPP loans and how this program is protecting workers and small businesses during this time: 

The Treasury Department is maintaining a frequently updated resource page, with important information for small businesses, lenders, and rules related to the program. They have posted a frequently asked questions document which can be found here and is copied below:

Medical Supplies:

At last night’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Trump announced that five additional cargo planes with medical supplies landed in the United States as part of FEMA’s “Project Airbridge,” and 27 additional flights are scheduled. He also said that 110,000 ventilators will be arriving in the coming months. 

Vice President Pence spoke specifically about medical supplies that have been delivered to the New York metro area in the last five days, reporting that more than 6 million N95 masks, more than 6 million surgical masks, and 2.8 million gowns were distributed to that region.

Coronavirus Testing Update: 

In an update, President Trump said that 1.87 million tests had been conducted. He also reported that 1,200 rapid response tests from Abbott Laboratories had been shipped and that 500 are being produced weekly, along with 50,000 testing cartridges. 

Therapeutics And Vaccines:

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn issued a statement about serological tests, which are tests that measure the amount of antibodies or proteins present in the blood when the body is responding to a specific infection. The statement said that these tests are meant to detect, “the body’s immune response to the infection caused by the virus rather than detecting the virus itself.” 

In the statement, Commissioner Hahn noted that the FDA has authorized only one Emergency Use Authorization for a COVID-19 serological test and that over 70 test developers have notified the agency that they have serological tests available for use. However, the statement added that some firms are falsely claiming that their serological tests are FDA approved or authorized, or falsely claiming that they can diagnose COVID-19.

Wyoming’s ranchers, farmers, grocery store employees, truck drivers, and warehouse operators have shown incredible determination as we fight the spread of COVID-19. Thank you for keeping our shelves stocked and putting food on our tables during these challenging times.

Please follow this newsletter and the coronavirus page on my website for continued updates about COVID-19 and how government is responding to protect both the country’s health and our economic security. 

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Congresswoman Liz Cheney