Reps. Schneider, Katko Announce Bipartisan COVID PREPARE Act

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Brad Schneider (IL-10) and John Katko (NY-24) introduced bipartisan legislation to require the federal government to report to Congress on their preparation planning to address the effects of a potential COVID-19 resurgence. The COVID Preparedness, Response, and Effective Planning for Advanced Requirements by the Executive Branch (PREPARE) Act would require federal agencies to submit a report to Congress on the steps they are taking to respond to a potential resurgence of COVID-19, including measurable goals, anticipated challenges, and how they will consult with Congress.

"As the COVID pandemic continues to wreak havoc on American communities and take thousands of American lives, we need to be prepared that things might get even worse come fall. Congress has a duty to assure the American people that the federal government is doing everything in its power to beat back the dual health and economic crises of this pandemic. The COVID PREPARE Act will provide bipartisan oversight and full transparency into both the planning and execution of our national response. We all certainly hope for the best, but we must responsibly prepare for the worst," said Schneider.

"With reports of COVID-19 spiking in most states, Central New York working families, frontline healthcare workers, and business owners are concerned that we will experience a ‘second wave.' With our community still confronting the devastating impacts of COVID-19, we cannot in good faith move forward without learning from the missteps made by those overseeing the response effort. Central New Yorkers deserve assurance that the Administration and Federal Government are fully prepared to prevent and respond to any widespread increases in COVID-19 cases," said Katko. "For this reason, I introduced the COVID PREPARE Act. This bipartisan bill would require federal agencies to develop and submit reports on how they would respond to a resurgence of COVID-19. While I remain focused on delivering relief to those impacted by the pandemic, I believe equally critical is our preparation and preparedness to effectively combat a resurgence of cases."

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

So far, the United States has almost 3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 with more than 130,000 deaths attributed to the pandemic. In the first five days of July alone, the United States reported its largest daily case totals and announced more than 250,000 new cases. Local officials in Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth expect their ICUs to be overwhelmed by COVID in less than two weeks. Similar statistics are being reported in Florida and Arizona. Nationwide, schools are struggling to plan to reopen in the fall. Now is not the time to take our eye off the ball. The COVID PREPARE Act would require updated reports from government agencies on how they intend to confront these problems and anticipate future challenges.