|
May 15, 2020
Dear Friends,
Today, the House of Representatives considered two actions. The first, was a rule change to allow members to vote via proxy. And the second was H.R. 6800, known as the HEROES Act. Now do not be deceived by its name because it will not help our heroes battling COVID-19 on the front lines.
During March and April, Congress passed four emergency appropriations bills. Implementation of these pieces of legislation is just beginning. It is critical that Congress is deliberate, studies and learns from action already taken, and then decides what further action is needed. The American taxpayer has entrusted Congress with this responsibility and continuing to spend money without oversight is reckless.
Congress is resilient, and it is past time that we got back to work on behalf of the American people.
National Updates
President Trump issued an executive order delegating authority under the Defense Production Act for the COVID-19 response to CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded $15 million in funding to 159 organizations to increase telehealth capabilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- HRSA also announced a funding opportunity for rural communities to strengthen and expand resources to fight substance use disorder and opioid use disorder.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert regarding the early data that suggests that the Abbott ID NOW point-of-care COVID-19 test has the potential to return false negative results.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a toolkit for nursing homes to develop strategies and interventions to control the spread of COVID-19.
- CMS issued a bulletin highlighting options available for states to temporarily modify provider reimbursement methodologies and rates under their Medicaid managed care contracts.
LabCorp announced it is launching a return to work service that gives employers access to LabCorp’s various COVID-19 resources, including their fingerstick antibody blood test.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will award over $10 billion to eligible states, localities and territories to bolster testing and contact tracing development.
Until next time, this is your doctor's note.
Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D.
|
