Duckworth Statement on Being Named to New White House Taskforce

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after being named to a new White House taskforce:

“For the sake of the nearly 25,000 Americans who have already lost their lives to COVID-19—and the countless more that will succumb in the weeks and months ahead—I wish Donald Trump had been as eager to prepare our country for this pandemic as he is to rush towards normalcy when his own experts are warning ‘we’re not there yet.’

“As a member of this task force, I will do everything in my power to remind Donald Trump of his responsibility to protect public health. He needs to stop blaming others for his Administration’s failures, ensure universal access to testing and vastly expand contact tracing efforts. He should more fully use the Defense Production Act as well as other authorities to bring the supply chain in line, ramp up PPE production and ensure that state and local governments have the supplies and resources they need to protect our communities.

“It is times like these that I am heartened our Constitution ensures that Governors and local authorities are the ones who will make the final decision about when it is safe to return to normal life. We all want to reach the other side of this crisis, but Donald Trump plugging his ears and ignoring science will put more Americans at greater risk and make a quick and safe recovery even harder.”