Buttigieg, Van Hollen, Cardin, Brown Tout American Rescue Plan At UPS Facility Delivering Vaccines
Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and Rep. Anthony Brown touted the American Rescue Plan as they toured a UPS facility in Landover, Md. that is delivering vaccines to Maryland and the District of Columbia. On the tour, they met with UPS drivers who are delivering vaccines and saw demonstrations of how the vaccine is packaged and delivered across the area.
“It was an honor to meet and thank the workers at UPS who are stepping up every day to deliver vaccines during this pandemic,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “As President Biden has said, help is on the way. The American Rescue Plan is a historic accomplishment that will help our national vaccination program get shots into people’s arms quickly and equitably. This will save lives.”
“Today’s visit was a great opportunity to see firsthand how the Biden Administration’s actions are leading to more vaccines on the ground and how Maryland’s workers are helping deliver on our top priority of getting these vaccines into the arms of Americans quickly,” said Senator Van Hollen. “With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, it’s crucial that the State immediately deploy this historic federal support to improve vaccine access and reduce disparities in Maryland. We’ll be pushing to ensure just that, and I appreciate the efforts of Secretary Buttigieg and UPS, as together, we work to secure the timely delivery of vaccines across our state and country.”
“We need to get vaccines into the arms of every adult in this country and that can only be accomplished with critical coordination at the federal level. The American Rescue Act and the Biden-Harris administration is changing the game and moving us quickly to a more effective process,” said Senator Cardin. “Thank you to all the delivery drivers and other essential workers who have shown bravery and dedication throughout the pandemic and now are on the frontlines delivering vaccines safely to state and local health departments for distribution. This is an incredibly complex task but we will get it done and it will save lives.”
“Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration have prioritized the quick and equitable administration of vaccines with the historic passage of the American Rescue Plan. UPS facilities like the one in Landover are critical to ensuring states like Maryland get the vaccine supplies they need to protect the lives of our residents and defeat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Anthony Brown, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This is a nationwide effort, requiring close cooperation and partnership between the public and private sectors. Working alongside Secretary Buttigieg and the tireless employees at UPS we will deliver for the American people and ensure better days are ahead.”
The American Rescue Plan contains nearly $160 billion to provide the supplies, emergency response, testing, and public health workforce to stop the spread of COVID-19, while distributing vaccines as quickly as possible and addressing racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes. Senators Van Hollen and Cardin and Rep. Brown have been outspoken on the need to improve the equity of Maryland’s vaccine rollout and Senator Van Hollen has introduced legislation to increase vaccination rates in underserved and minority communities.
The success of the national vaccination program depends on vaccine and medical supplies, the scaling of vaccination sites and vaccinators, and also the transportation network itself. Vaccine distribution has required significant innovation in the shipping and logistics industry, as well as partnership with federal, state, and local government to enable a massive delivery effort of vaccines, including some that need to be transported and held at super-cold temperatures, to every corner of this nation. Transportation workers have been on the frontlines delivering everything from PPE to vaccines to help combat the pandemic.