WASHINGTON, DC, September 2, 2020 – House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s refusal to participate in a global effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine:
While this move is not surprising given the Trump administration’s ill-advised posture toward the World Health Organization (WHO), it is nevertheless devastating that the United States will apparently not participate in global efforts to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine.
It is dangerous for the Trump administration to further isolate the United States and abdicate our global leadership simply because the WHO is involved. With more than 25 million COVID-19 cases globally, it is incomprehensible that the only leading role this administration can take credit for is the highest nationwide case count, with more than 6 million Americans infected and nearly 185,000 Americans dead.
We must not fall for the constant lies, chaotic and irresponsible distractions, and reckless rhetoric propagated by President Trump and his administration. By politicizing the response to this disease, and therefore American lives and the economy, the Trump administration poses a threat to public health, prosperity, and security.