Cheney Named To China Task Force:

This morning, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy announced the creation of a China Task Force which will develop policies, ideas, and legislative strategy to combat the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. I’m honored to have been selected to serve on this task force and I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect America’s national security. 

The United States must lead the world in holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its coronavirus deception and its many years of pernicious activities around the globe. This is a battle between freedom and totalitarianism, and we will never let the Chinese Government determine the kind of future we are going to live in.

On Monday, I joined “Wake Up Wyoming” to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cover-up of COVID-19 that led to the international spread of the virus. There is no question that because of the Chinese Communist Party’s lies, because of the way that they’ve operated, they caused coronavirus to become a international health and economic crisis and they’ve got to be held accountable. Click here to listen to the full interview and see an excerpt of the transcript below:

NICK LEARNED: Over the weekend, I should say, we saw news coverage of the NHS report – China potentially involved in some degree of cover-up of the coronavirus so that they could hold on to their own supplies and stockpile of PPE, that kind of thing. You’ve talked the last couple of weeks about the role of the Chinese government regarding the spread of the virus. To what degree do you hold Beijing responsible, and how will U.S. leadership hold the Chinese government accountable?

REP. LIZ CHENEY: Yeah, they’re completely responsible. They understood that they had human-to-human transmission. They disappeared and probably killed the doctors that were trying to warn the world about it. They didn’t let international teams in, and they caused the virus to be spread globally. I think they probably assessed, once they figured out they had human-to-human transmission and they shut down travel from Wuhan into the rest of China, but they left it open from Wuhan into the rest of the world, I would imagine … that what they decided was … this was going to have a huge, detrimental impact on their own economy and they didn’t want to have the blow just to their own economy. By causing this virus to be spread globally, I think it’s entirely likely that it was an intentional economic decision on their part — they would be better off if the whole world suffered, not just China suffering. I think there is no question, but because of the lies, because of the cover-up, because of the way that they’ve operated, they caused this virus to be spread globally and they’ve got to be held accountable for that.

https://cheney.house.gov/2020/05/04/cheney-ccps-lies-and-cover-up-of-covid-19-caused-virus-to-spread-globally/

Today, I introduced a bill to rename the street outside the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. “Li Wenliang Plaza.” The Chinese Government attempted to silence Dr. Li Wenliang who, at great personal risk, warned about the danger of coronavirus. While the Chinese Communist Party caused the virus to be spread around the globe, resulting in death and economic devastation, brave medical professionals like Dr. Li spoke truth to the regime.

May this serve as a constant reminder to the world and to the Chinese Government that truth and freedom will prevail, that we will not forget the bravery of Dr. Li, and that the Chinese Communist Party will be held accountable for the devastating impact of their lies. Click here to learn more.

Paycheck Protection Program Update:

On Monday April 27th, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) resumed accepting applications for small business loans to help keep employees on payroll. Funding is now available for eligible Wyoming small business owners, ranchers, farmers, non-profits, and religious organizations who need financial support as a result of the economic shutdown caused by coronavirus. 

As of yesterday, the Paycheck Protection Program had approved over 2.44 million loans in the second round of funding. This is on top of the 1.6 million loans approved in round one. These totals combined mean that over 4 million small businesses have now been approved for PPP loans.

To locate an eligible Paycheck Protection Program lender, click here: www.sba.gov/paycheckprotection/find

Wyoming small business owners, ranchers, farmers, non-profits, and religious organizations can find additional information about applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans by clicking on the following links:

Protecting Native American Tribes:

During his visit to Arizona this week, President Trump held a roundtable discussion about support his Administration has provided to Native American community during this crisis. The full roundtable can be seen here.

In addition to the roundtable, the Treasury Department and Interior Department announced that they will make funding available to Tribal governments. Click here for further background about what the Administration has done to protect the Native American community:

  • COMBATING CORONAVIRUS IN NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES: President Donald J. Trump is supporting Native American communities impacted by the coronavirus.
     
  • DELIVERING VITAL SUPPLIES: The Trump Administration has rapidly delivered critical medical supplies to Native Americans communities in need.
     
  • SUPPORTING TRIBAL COMMUNITIES: President Trump remains committed to supporting the wellbeing of our American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Next Steps For Testing & Therapeutics:

In a column for The Wall Street Journal, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb outlined what the future could look like as the United States adjusts to the presence of COVID-19, and he wrote about the steps that need to be taken in order to develop better drugs and expand antigen testing. 

Dr. Gottlieb also appeared on CBS’s Face The Nation this past Sunday and that interview can be seen here. 

President Trump Invokes DPA To Support Nation’s Food Supply:

Last week, President Trump signed an Executive Order under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to protect the nation’s food supply. The DPA classifies meat and poultry processing plants as essential infrastructure that must remain open and states that the government will provide additional protective gear for employees as well as guidance for them. 

The full Executive Order can be read here. The White House has provided a fact sheet that highlights how the Administration is taking action to ensure the safety of our nation’s food supply chain:

PROTECTING MEAT SUPPLIES: President Donald J. Trump is using the Defense Production Act to ensure that Americans have a reliable supply of products like beef, pork, and poultry.

SUPPORTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: Closure of meat and poultry processing plants can quickly have an outsized impact on our Nation’s food supply chain.

STOCKING OUR SHELVES: President Trump has taken decisive action to make sure that Americans retain access to a variety of food and goods during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Remdisivr Emergency Use Authorization:

After a clinical trial conducted by the NIH showing that the antiviral drug remdisivir accelerates recovery from COVID-19, the FDA formally issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the drug to be used to treat patients infected with the virus. 

The CEO of Gilead Sciences – which manufactures remdisivir – has said that his company is committed to donating 1.5 million vials of the drug, and is working with the Administration to determine how best to distribute that. He has also stated that Gilead began expanding the manufacturing of remdesivir in January 2020 and has reduced the time it takes to manufacture the drug from 12 months to 6 months.

How To Access Economic Impact Payments:

The IRS formally launched the “Get My Payment” web portal last week with features to let taxpayers check on their Economic Impact Payment date and update direct deposit information.

The portal can be accessed here: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment, and there are FAQ’s that are answered on the site as well. 

Medical Supplies:

The FDA issued an immediately in effect guidance related to the permanent discontinuation or interruption in manufacturing a device during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance is intended to assist manufacturers in providing FDA timely notification about changes in the production of certain medical device products that will help FDA prevent or mitigate shortages of such devices during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

As of May 5, FEMA’s Project Airbridge has completed 119 flights with an additional 26 scheduled for a total of approximately 145 flights.
 
As of May 5, FEMA, HHS, and the private sector combined have coordinated the delivery of or are current shipping: 75.1 million N95 respirators, 120.2 million surgical masks, 7.5 million face shields, 19.3 million surgical gowns, 947.7 million gloves, 10,663 ventilators, and 8,450 federal medical station beds.

Latest Coronavirus Testing Numbers:

More than 7.75 million tests for COVID-19 have been performed in the United States. According to The COVID Tracking Project, 215,443 tests were reported today the United States.

The below chart, courtesy of Our World In Data, shows how the United States is leading the world when it comes to testing: 

Therapeutics And Vaccines:

The FDA approved two generic drugs indicated to facilitate tracheal intubation and to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation.

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