Joe Biden Responds to Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Briefing April 20, 2020

After Donald Trump’s appearance at today’s White House coronavirus task force briefing, Joe Biden released the following statement:

To beat this virus and re-open our country, America needs more testing now — not weeks down the road — but all we’ve gotten from President Trump and the White House have been excuses and buck-passing. 

The administration’s response on testing has been so slow, and so ineffective, that the Governor of Maryland — a Republican — had to turn to South Korea to get badly-needed tests. Think about that: a Governor had to turn to a country halfway around the world for aid because he couldn’t rely on timely help from a President and a White House that sits just miles from his state’s border. 

Both Democratic and Republican governors are pleading for assistance on testing but instead of taking responsibility and partnering with the states to get it done, Trump shamefully accused them today of being “partisan” and “playing politics” by asking for critical help from the federal government. 

And, instead of quickly and fully deploying the Defense Production Act to secure materials like swabs to ramp up our testing capacity — as I called for over a month ago — Trump is only now beginning to address the shortage of swabs after an unacceptable test slowdown that has left us far below where we need to be to re-open our country, and with countless Americans left with horrible uncertainty as they and their loved ones fight this disease.

It's clear the president has no interest in solving this problem and saving lives. That's why I've called for Congress to step in and establish a Pandemic Testing Board to ensure our governors have the tests and supplies they need to beat the virus and reopen the economy. A Board like this helped us win World War II -- it can help us win this fight too.

As I’ve said before, President Trump is not responsible for the coronavirus, but his failure to take swift action, listen to the experts, and bring people together — not launch political attacks — has cost us grievously. With the U.S. now leading the globe in confirmed cases and deaths, and with more than 22 million Americans having filed for unemployment claims, the time for more excuses from President Trump is over. It’s long past time to listen to our experts, fully implement the DPA, and finally get it done.

“Weekly Warnock” - Campaign Updates

Highlights from the Warnock for Georgia Team for April 11- 17

Atlanta, GA - This week, Reverend Raphael Warnock wrote an Op-Ed for The American Independent on Tuesday highlighting the health disparities facing Black and lower-income Americans during the COVID-19 crisis, especially across rural communities. Warnock also joined MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid on Saturday to talk about the importance of social distancing during Easter and SiriusXM’s Jess McIntosh and Zerlina Maxwell to discuss his candidacy for U.S. Senate on Thursday. He also ended the week as the top candidate for Senate, outraising incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler and Congressman Doug Collins. Warnock Op-Ed: The American Independent: The coronavirus crisis reveals just how deep inequality in US runs  Key sections, below. Read the full Op-Ed here. This past week I did something I never thought I'd do: conducted a funeral for a member of my congregation on Zoom. Like many people across the country, the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached our doorsteps at Ebenezer Baptist Church here in Georgia. No one is immune to this tragedy, but we are all reminded just how deep inequality runs in our country as we see this virus's outsized impact on historically disadvantaged communities and how ill-prepared we are to address it. Inequality in economics and health care multiplies in the midst of a crisis. These are tragic consequences that people in Black and brown and rural and poor communities experience every day, compounded and exacerbated by problems like COVID-19. Our country is in debt right now to so many working people and health care professionals making incredible sacrifices with few assurances from our government or their employers that their families will be taken care of after this. We need leaders who will be busy doing everything they can to fight not just this global pandemic, but the disparities in our health care system that exacerbated it. I have spent my life fighting in that space. That's why I have been working on the issue of Medicaid expansion from the pulpit and the streets for so many years and will continue to do so. Read the full Op-Ed here.

Five Questions for Donald Trump at Friday’s Briefing

As Trump Attempts to Spin Away His Historic Failure to Combat the Coronavirus, Here Are Five Questions He Needs to Answer at Today’s Press Conference

1.  New reporting this week shows that the Chinese government has been systematically misleading the world about the coronavirus -- including hiding the number of deaths and delaying the release of critical information about its severity -- so why did you praise President Xi for his “transparency” and spend months lauding China’s response?

Just today, we learned that the death toll in Wuhan is at least 50% higher than previously reported and a stunning report in the Associated Press earlier this week showed that President Xi Jinping and Chinese officials waited almost a week to inform their citizens about the severity of the coronavirus.

Instead of taking swift action to get the facts on the ground and prepare America for the coronavirus, Trump praised Xi Jinping for his work and his “transparency” and repeatedly complimented China’s response.

In stark contrast, Vice President Biden joined the intelligence community in repeatedly warning Trump not to buy China’s and to take steps to prepare America to combat the coronavirus.


2.  You’re pushing the country to re-open quickly even as the number of coronavirus tests completed plateaus at a pace far below what is needed -- why aren’t you taking steps to increase our testing capabilities?

Axios reports today that testing numbers continue to plateau “at a number that falls far short of what experts say is needed” -- making it impossible for states and health care workers on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus to combat and contain its spread.

Trump’s initial failure to quickly develop and roll out an effective and reliable test resulted in a ‘lost month’ and left America blind as the virus spread rapidly within the United States. And, despite Trump’s false promises that “anybody that wants a test can get a test” and him claiming to governors that testing is no longer an issue, there remain nationwide shortages and delays.


3.  Why haven’t you directed OSHA to do everything in its power to deal with workplace health concerns related to coronavirus, even though a new report today finds that thousands of complaints have been filed about unsafe conditions?

A new report yesterday from the Washington Post finds that thousands of complaints have been filed with OSHA by workers in response to unsafe working conditions because of the coronavirus. The complaints detail callous indifference by many employers to the health and safety of their employees -- including by refusing to provide basic equipment or put in place measures to mitigate the risk of infection.

The Trump Administration has only started enforcement efforts this week and is still refusing to do everything it can and should to protect workers’ health and safety. Vice President Biden has called for OSHA to take immediate action to strengthen safety standards and improve oversight to keep frontline workers safe and ensure that they can continue supporting our communities.


4.  Why are health care workers at the VA being forced to violate federal guidelines by reporting for work even if they test positive for COVID-19 while remaining asymptomatic -- a problem exacerbated by the need to ration and re-use personal protective equipment as they fight the coronavirus -- putting both themselves and the veterans they serve at risk?

New reporting by the New York Times finds widespread shortages of personal protective equipment for health care workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs -- with workers being forced to re-use gear, and with more than 1,600 employees with confirmed coronavirus cases.

Beyond being denied basic equipment, workers at the VA also reportedly have previously been instructed to report to work even if they test positive for the coronavirus but are asymptomatic -- something in contravention of federal guidelines.

Trump, meanwhile, continues to make false claims about his failure to get equipment to first-responders, claiming Monday at a press briefing that states had adequate supplies -- a claim that a CNN fact check found to be false, with both Democratic and Republican governors continuing to press the White House for more equipment.


5.  Why are you allowing banks to seize stimulus checks earmarked for working families who are struggling financially?

A report in the American Prospect earlier this week found that the Trump’s Treasury Department is allowing banks and debt collectors to seize stimulus checks destined for working families who are struggling to make ends meet in the middle of a pandemic.

Treasury regulators have refused to take action to protect these payments and ensure that they make it to the pockets of Americans in need, who are already facing unprecedented financial challenges.