May 12, 2020

Trump COVID-19 Watch

Washington, DC - Elizabeth Warren is continuing her oversight of the Trump Administration's COVID-19 response. Government delivers best when its actions are fair, transparent and accountable. But President Donald Trump's approach to this crisis doesn't reflect those values.

Senator Warren on the latest unemployment numbers: "Trump & his GOP allies still don't have a plan to get us out of this economic disaster. This is a policy failure - and this is a moral failure." Read more here.

Tuesday, May 5th: In her ongoing oversight of the CARES Act $500 billion slush fund, Senator Warren secured commitment for transparency and investigations into any corporate abuse of bailout funds by Trump nominee for Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Brian Miller.

Miller's work as one of Trump's impeachment attorneys should have disqualified him from a nomination. Miller will need to prove his independence with the aggressive oversight he committed to including: 

  • Investigating as potential waste or abuse cases where giant corporations get bailed out by taxpayer dollars from CARES, and then lay off workers.
  • Investigating the potential for waste and abuse when giant corporations lobby Congress or the White House and then get bailouts financed by taxpayers.
  • Investigating potential conflicts of interest, and if the Department of Treasury or companies do not voluntarily provide the information needed to do so, use his subpoena authority to get it.

Thursday, May 7th: Senator Warren wrote to Secretary Mnuchin calling on him not to bail out oil and gas companies using loans backed by taxpayer funds. 

Thursday, May 7th: In her ongoing oversight of the Trump Admin's failure to provide critical, basic medical supplies, Senator Warren highlighted the need to force Trump to use the Defense Production Act and publicly manufacture medical supplies at a HELP Hearing on COVID-19 Testing.

Friday, May 8th: Senator Warren and Ranking Member of Senate HELP Patty Murray (D-Wash.) wrote to the FDA asking how the agency is tracking the quality, safety, & effectiveness of COVID-19 tests and treatments and avoiding succumbing to political pressure from President Trump.

UPCOMING: TODAY, Senator Warren will be asking questions at the HELP Committee hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, CDC Director Robert Redfield, and Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir.

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