Van Hollen, Warren, Democratic Senators Call for Broad Investigations of the Trump Administration's COVID-19 Response

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for investigations into the Trump Administration's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, including whether political expediency rather than the country's urgent public health needs has driven the Trump Administration's distribution of life-saving medical supplies and equipment and other key public health and economic decisions. They, along with eight of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter today to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s Offices of the Inspector General.

The Trump administration has been unable to deliver urgently-needed medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, and has created confusion and distress among states by seizing equipment orders and providing little transparency about decision-making. The Trump Administration appears to have made decisions about distributing life-saving supplies based on the electoral concerns of President Trump and his political allies rather than the most urgent public health needs. The senators also raised concerns about Jared Kushner's involvement in Project Airbridge and evidence he may have fast-tracked shipments at the requests of donors and other friends.

"This confusion has been exacerbated by President Trump's public statements suggesting that governors' political support for his administration could influence how much support they receive from the federal government," wrote the lawmakers in their letter. "This obfuscation underscores the need for clarity as to how decisions regarding the seizure and redistribution of supplies are being made, and whether or not they are tainted with political interference."

Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) joined Senators Van Hollen and Warren in signing the letter.

The full text of the letter is available here.