Washington, DC – Yesterday, Rep. Ron Kind sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar calling on them to provide additional support to Wisconsin to address the severe spike in COVID-19 cases statewide. This is Rep. Kind’s second letter within a month urging the Administration to help Wisconsin state and local governments and frontline health care providers combat the rapid spread of COVID-19.    

Over the last week, Wisconsin’s average new case count reached previously unseen heights with more than 2,000 people testing positive for COVID-19 each day. As of October 1, 683 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across the state, including 198 patients in intensive care. On September 30, 27 Wisconsinites died from COVID-19, the highest number of deaths reported in a single day. 

“Wisconsin is facing an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases, and our dedicated health care providers are working around the clock to keep our communities safe and healthy,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “It’s crucial that our frontline medical providers and state and local governments have access to the resources they need to combat the spread of this virus. We can’t afford to wait, which is why I’m calling on the Administration to step up and immediately provide additional resources to Wisconsin to help mitigate this crisis. The health and safety of Wisconsinites is my top priority and I will continue to fight to ensure our state has the resources it needs to slow this surge in COVID-19 cases.”  

On October 1, Rep. Kind voted for the updated HEROES Act, which would boost funding for state and local governments to ensure they have the resources needed to continue to manage the health and economic consequences of COVID-19. The updated HEROES Act would also provide additional funding for testing and contact tracing and require a national strategic plan on testing.   

Rep. Kind is a member of the Health Subcommittee on the Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful – and the oldest – committee in the House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over tax measures, the management of public debt, trade and tariff laws, Social Security, Medicare, pensions, and many other economic growth measures.

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