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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko will be battling in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today as the full committee marks up its budget reconciliation COVID rescue package. Rep. Tonko’s priorities for the package include vital provisions to empower states to use Medicaid to support vulnerable populations through his recently-introduced bipartisan Medicaid Reentry Act as well as a national crisis response expanding pandemic support and vaccine distribution, related environmental health, broadband internet access, utility assistance, consumer safety and numerous other COVID-exposed policy areas.

“We need immediate, bold action to confront this COVID crisis, including plans to help struggling families and reverse nationwide economic fallout,” Congressman Tonko said. “Our legislative package in the Energy and Commerce Committee delivers that strong, decisive and compassionate response that speaks to the critical needs of our workers, families and communities by implementing a national vaccination program, scaling up testing, supporting health care workers, bolstering mental health treatment and much more.

“Crucially, these provisions also address long entrenched health disparities for communities of color, which have been laid bare and further exacerbated by this crisis,” Tonko continued. “With my Medicaid Reentry Act included, this package directly supports this effort to address inequities with treatment and access to care for marginalized communities. There is simply no time to waste. Each minute of delay is another life lost, another business gone under, another family devastated. We need to move this legislation forward now and show the American people know that help is indeed on the way.”

The package being debated in Energy & Commerce today includes:

• $7.5 billion for vaccine distribution activities at the CDC, ensure those on the ground have the resources they need to vaccinate America.
• $5.2 billion for research, development, manufacturing, production, and purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and ancillary supplies
• $46 billion for testing, contact tracing, and mitigation, including implementing a national strategy for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and mitigation and providing technical assistance, guidance, support, and grants or contracts to States
• $5 billion in assistance in consumer energy and water assistance for Americans who are struggling to make ends meet keep the lights on, the heat working and the water running
• $1.8 billion to support the purchase, procurement, or distribution of COVID-19 test and testing supplies, PPE, and vaccines for staff and individuals in congregate settings including prisons, jails, detention centers, long-term care facilities, psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities
• Empowering states to provide continuity of care access for justice-involved individuals prior to their release from incarceration, delivering lifesaving addiction and mental health treatment to vulnerable populations. 

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