Friends,

Today, we were all saddened to hear the news that our state has experienced its first loss due to the coronavirus. Our entire state is praying for this individual’s friends and family.

Paycheck Protection Program Update:

The Paycheck Protection Program passed in the CARES Act is helping save jobs and support American small businesses during the economic crisis created by the spread of the coronavirus. As of Saturday night:

• More than 904,000 loans have been distributed to small businesses, helping to keep workers on payroll
• Nearly 4,500 lenders have participated in the Paycheck Protection Program

While funding for the program is expected to be exhausted by the end of the week, Democrats are still blocking efforts to authorize more resources for it. 

At a time when our country desperately needs all of us to come together across party lines to provide emergency relief, it is tragic that Democrats are blocking these resources for American small businesses. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should stop playing partisan games and work with us so we can get this crucial relief to millions of American small businesses, employees, and families.  

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: 

• Coronavirus.gov Small Business Resources Page
  
• Treasury Department Overview On The Paycheck Protection Program
  
• Treasury Department & SBA FAQ On The Paycheck Protection Program
  
• SBA.gov/Coronavirus Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources Page

Supporting The Specific Needs For Wyoming’s Tribal Communities

As the COVID-19 pandemic affects communities across the state of Wyoming, it is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach for delivering financial aid included in the CARES Act will not work.

This past weekend, I submitted a request to the Treasury Department and the Department of Interior that the Eastern Showhone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe receive pandemic relief funding separately based upon their individual needs rather than as one entity of the Wind River Reservation. My request can be found here and is copied below:

Support For Hospitals And Health Care Providers

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services posted information outlining how the Provider Relief Fund, which was part of the CARES Act, will be disbursed. This funding will be used to support healthcare-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19 and to ensure uninsured Americans can get testing and treatment for this virus. The first wave of funding was delivered last Friday which included more than 800 providers and healthcare systems across the state of Wyoming. 

HHS has announced it will be distributing the funding for hospitals and health care providers in three tranches. They have said they anticipate releasing the second tranche later this week. I will continue to work with the Administration to ensure that the needs of our rural hospitals.  

FCC Telehealth Program Portal Application Opens Today

The Federal Communications Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program application portal will open today at 10:00 AM MDT. This program, appropriated by Congress in the CARES Act, will provide financial support to health care providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by fully funding their telecommunication services, information services, and devices necessary to provide critical connected care services to patients remotely.

The application portal and explainer video will be available today at www.fcc.gov/covid19telehealth, and an FCC public notice providing information on the application process is available here.

Holding China Accountable For COVID-19 Cover-up

The Chinese Communist Party’s continuing lies and disinformation efforts about the coronavirus must be punished. It is critical that the government officials who have tried to cover up this deadly virus—including by suppressing brave individuals like Dr. Li Wenliang—are held accountable for creating the health and economic crisis we now face. The Li Wenliang Global Public Health Accountability Act that I am co-sponsoring is the first step in holding accountable those Chinese Communist Party officials who are responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans and people worldwide.

Today, the Washington Examiner published an article with more details about this legislation that can be found here. 

During this difficult time, millions of Americans have stepped up and put extraordinary examples of patriotism on display. We salute the heroes who show that in challenging moments, America Works Together.

I’m especially proud of the individuals, small businesses, and organizations in Wyoming who are going above and beyond to help our local communities as we fight the spread of coronavirus. Click here to read more about these stories from our state.

Medical Supplies:

The FDA issued a second emergency use authorization (EUA) that will allow for the decontamination of approximately 750,000 N95 respirators per day in the United States. 

At his press conference on Friday, President Trump announced that the FDA had issued 47 EUAs for advancements in testing, new ventilator designs, innovations, personal protective equipment, and experimental medicines.

The President also announced on Friday that the Department of Defense would be donating 10 million N95 masks that they had.

Coronavirus Testing Update:

Over 2.1 million tests for COVID-19 have been conducted in the United States.

FEMA has awarded a contract with a manufacturer in South Korea to provide approximately 750,000 test kits. Flights carrying the test kits are expected to begin in the next couple of weeks.

Therapeutics And Vaccines:

The NIH began recruiting for a new study to quantify undetected cases of COVID-19 where researchers will collect and analyze blood samples from as many as 10,000 volunteers to provide critical data for epidemiological models, helping to illuminate the extent to which the virus has spread undetected in the United States.

Gilead also released the results from a cohort of analysis of 53 patients hospitalized with severe complications of COVID-19 that were treated with remdesivir under compassionate use, with the study finding that the majority of patients demonstrated clinical improvement, and no new safety signals were identified.

During the briefing with the White House Coronavirus Task Force on Friday, President Trump announced that his Administration deployed two major shipments of hydroxychloroquine from the national stockpile over the last week. 26 more are in the active planning or clinical trial. 

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. 

Congresswoman Liz Cheney