Members of the Texas congressional delegation on both sides of the aisle ask the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to suspend direct funding for several coronavirus testing sites in the Lone Star State, where there has been a wave of Covid-19 cases.
State lawmakers, including Republican Senses John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, say they don't understand why federal aid is being withdrawn when their state sees more and more cases of coronavirus.
"Frankly, I didn't understand what they were thinking," Cornyn told CNN on Thursday.
In a joint letter sent Thursday to Secretary of Health and Social Services Alex Azar and FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor, Cornyn and Cruz urged the administration "to extend the program for test sites in Texas ", which they say are" critical to Texas' testing ability. "
A transition away from these federally funded sites began in April, but the latest debate on federal funding comes after President Trump on Saturday lamented the increase in coronavirus cases in the United States, accusing the increase of tests.
The federally funded testing program aimed to revive initial capabilities in critical areas of the United States, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
But since the Food and Drug Administration has authorized individuals to self-administer nasal swab tests at sites, the demand for personal protective equipment and trained health care providers will be reduced, said a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement in April when the administration began its transition. far from the program.
A health and social services spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the 13 community testing sites, including seven in Texas, will no longer receive direct funding.
What other Texan lawmakers say: Speaking to CNN's Jim Sciutto, representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Texas Democrat, said that given the spike in the Covid-19 cases, the state "had clearly opened up too quickly and too soon" .
Gonzalez noted that Texas reported nearly 6,000 cases yesterday and said its district in the Rio Grande Valley has seen a 700% increase in the past 30 days.
Gonzalez denounced the cuts in federal funding for the tests.
"It would be reprehensible to imagine that we would cut tests at a time when our pandemic is increasing by leaps and bounds," said Gonzalez. "I hope the president will follow the recommendations of the CDC, listen to Senator Cruz and Senator Cornyn and the rest of us, ensuring that the tests are robust, that they are widespread, that they are available. is the only way we're going to get it under control. "
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