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The Recovery Report

Washington, DC, September 28, 2020

The Recovery Report is a weekly newsletter about America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic from Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis (SSOCC) Republicans. 

Coronavirus Facts of the Week:

  • The U.S. set a new record this week with more than 1 million coronavirus tests being administered in a single day. Over 110 million tests have been completed nationwide.
  • We are continuing to see rapid successes in Operation Warp Speed. Both Novavax and Johnson & Johnson announced that their vaccine has reached the final stage of clinical trials. There are now five late-stage vaccine candidates that have been supported by Operation Warp Speed.
  • New research shows that less than 1 percent of students and faculty are contracting COVID-19 since schools reopened. According to a Brown University study of 550 schools in 46 states, only .076 percent of students and .15 percent of teachers had confirmed cases of the virus.

Coronavirus Quote of the Week:

“In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world. China condemned my travel ban on their country, even as they canceled domestic flights and locked citizens in their homes. The Chinese government and the World Health Organization — which is virtually controlled by China — falsely declared that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Later, they falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease. The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions.” – President Trump

Bogus Narrative of the Week:

Democrats continue to politicize the pandemic and are now on their latest attempt to undermine President Trump. Last week, liberal Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan called for a congressional inquiry into President Trump’s handling of coronavirus, yet they won’t answer for their deadly “must admit” nursing home orders.

Why it’s false:

  • Governors Cuomo and Whitmer’s call for an investigation is pure politics and an attempt to deflect from their own mishandling of COVID-19 within their states. It’s also hypocritical.
  • Both governors have yet to answer for their deadly “must admit” order that resulted in the deaths of thousands of nursing home patients within their states. Top Republicans have called on several Democratic governors to provide information about their “must admit” orders (see here , here , and here .), but both Governors Cuomo and Whitmer have refused to respond and have failed to produce a single document.
  • Governor Cuomo took it a step further by shifting blame towards nursing home workers, who have been frontline heroes during this pandemic.
  • The Wall Street Journal exposed Governor Cuomo’s deadly order, showing that despite objections from nursing homes, he ordered them to admit COVID positive seniors and then used shady math to cover up the deaths. Nursing homes that refused the order kept quiet out of fear, saying “I know how vindictive [Cuomo] is.”
  • The Department of Justice recently announced that it may initiate an investigation into deadly orders issued by five Democratic governors, including Cuomo and Whitmer.
  • While Governors Cuomo and Whitmer refuse to take responsibility for their mishandling of the coronavirus, President Trump has taken action to protect Americans’ lives.
  • The fact of the matter is that the Trump administration has been effective in combating coronavirus, while lowering unemployment and promoting a robust economic comeback at the same time. Democrats will stop at nothing to score political points in an election year.
This Week’s SSOCC Highlights:

On Wednesday, September 23, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testified before SSOCC on our nation’s fiscal outlook amid the pandemic. Under the Trump administration, we are witnessing the great American comeback. We’ve gained 10.6 million jobs since April and Chairman Powell noted that “ the economy’s recovered faster than expected .”

During the hearing, Republican members stressed the need to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Chairman Powell said it could “do a lot of good” to help more small businesses get back on their feet. Republicans and centrist Democrats have called upon Speaker Pelosi and Democratic Leadership to extend the PPP in order to help small businesses keep their employees paid, but Democrats have refused to extend this critical program.

On Friday, October 2, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar will testify before the SSOCC regarding his Department’s efforts to deploy lifesaving COVID-19 therapies and vaccines to protect lives.

Coronavirus News of the Week:
Trump Administration Actions

President Trump Calls on United Nations to Hold China Accountable : Last week, President Trump called upon the United Nations to hold China accountable for the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump condemned China for their missteps in handling the virus by allowing Chinese citizens to continue to travel out of the country during the earliest days and for falsely declaring there was no evidence in human-to-human transmission. The President also slammed China for their environmental crimes and trade abuses. President Trump continues to put American first by calling out China’s active deception throughout the pandemic and their role in unleashing the virus.

FDA Authorizes First Point-of-Care Antibody Test for COVID-19 : On September 23, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the first antibody point-of-care test for COVID-19 to enable more timely and convenient test results for individuals who want to know if they have been previously infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

House GOP Actions:

New Report on CCP and WHO’s Role in the Spread of the Coronavirus: The Minority on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs issued a report titled, “The Origins of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, Including the Roles of the Chinese Communist Party and World Health Organization.” The report concludes that the coronavirus likely could have been prevented if the CCP acted more transparently and the WHO wasn’t complicit in the spread and normalization of the CCP’s propaganda and disinformation.

Coronavirus Headlines:

The Opinion Pages:
The Response on Social Media:

Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) blasts Governors Cuomo and Whitmer for playing politics and refusing to take responsibility for their deadly “must admit” orders that resulted in the deaths of thousands of nursing home patients.

Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) applauds House passage of her bipartisan bill to strengthen domestic manufacturing of personal protective equipment.
Representative Fred Keller (R-Pa.) called for PPP to be extended to help more small businesses.
The House Republican Conference notes that PPP has supported over 51 million jobs and calls on House Democrats to stop playing politics with critical aid.
Select Subcommittee Republicans note that the science shows that school coronavirus rates are much lower than those in surrounding communities.
Representative Mark Green (R-Tenn.) underscores that the CDC has stressed the importance of children returning to school.
Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) blasts Democrats for refusing to hold China accountable.
Representative Mark Green (R-Tenn.)  highlights  a report produced by the Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee showing the CCP hid their knowledge about the coronavirus.
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