releases: https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-calls-hawai-i-department-health-fully-mobilize-covid-19
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-calls-hawai-i-department-health-fully-mobilize-covid-19 | Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Calls For Hawaii Department of Health To Fully Mobilize COVID-19 Contact Tracing Force | 2020-08-05 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | HI | Tulsi Gabbard | G000571 | gabbard.house.gov | legacy | Honolulu, HIFrustrated by the Hawaii Department of Health's half-hearted deployment of too few trained contact tracers, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) is calling for answers and for the department to fully mobilize its contact tracing force. The sheer number of COVID-19 infections that we are continuing to see blow through the roof require extensive testing and contact tracing. Congress has provided funding for contact tracing, and the Department of Health has over 400 trained contract tracers while only employing around 100 of them. There is no excuse not to actively employ all available, trained contact tracers, along with additional personnel from the Hawaii National Guard, to rapidly trace, investigate, and contain every single positive COVID case,said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Given the rate of infections we are seeing in Hawaii, George Washington University recommends a staffing ratio of at least 40 contact tracers per 100,000 population. If the problem gets worse in Hawaii, that ratio will increase. Currently the Hawaii Department of Health has deployed less than 19% of that amount. The people of Hawaii need a minimum of 564 contact tracers activated and employed immediately. Every hour, every day we delay puts more people in our community at risk. Contact tracers are trained to communicate with people who have tested positive for COVID-19, determine who they may have been in contact with, and contact those individuals to quickly implement protective and isolating measures to contain the virus. Department of Health Director Bruce Anderson said recently that slightly over 100 Department staff are actively engaged in contact tracing today, while hundreds more are trained but not being utilized. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's call comes as Hawaii's daily COVID-19 case count continues to reach new records including a new high of 173 infections today. Medical professionals, county officials, and both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor have all highlighted the need for increased contact tracing capacity and speed in order to help put a stop to the continuing high number of new COVID-19 infections. Background:Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and her team have been working since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis to bring more resources home to Hawaii, while also keeping Hawaii residents informed through a resource hub on her website, regular e-newsletter updates, and virtual town hall events including public officials and community leaders to provide updates and directly answer constituent questions. Protecting and Providing for Americans During the Crisis In early March, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduced H.Res.897, a resolution that would provide an emergency non-taxable Universal Basic Payment to all adult Americans until COVID-19 no longer presents a public health emergency. She was the earliest Member of Congress to introduce legislation for a Universal Basic Income-like payment as a temporary economic stimulus package to directly and immediately help Americans as they weather this crisis. In March, working with Hawaii's Congressional Delegation, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sent two letters calling on President Trump to support Hawaii's request for medical equipment, supplies and resources for the state. In April, she introduced H.R.6609 with Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) which directs the President to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) to acquire and manufacture necessary components, materials, and supplies to conduct molecular and serological COVID-19 medical testing nationwide. In May, she introduced H.R.6809, the Nurse Workforce Protection Act, with Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13). The bipartisan bill would prevent a healthcare provider receiving COVID-19 federal assistance from furloughing, reducing the salary, or reducing the hours of its nurses more than 25% as well as prevent them from forcing them to use paid vacation days. She has fought to make sure that Economic Stimulus Payments get to individuals quickly. She called for a rule change to enable recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and non-taxable VA benefits (VA Disability Compensation and Veterans Pension) to more easily obtain their recovery rebates. She also called upon the Department of the Treasury to to prohibit financial institutions from garnishing the economic impact payments to pay debts owed, ensuring that taxpayers receive their direct cash payments as Congress intended. She continues to advocate for a monthly direct basic payment to continue for as long as this healthcare crisis continues. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has continued to work to make sure that much-needed medical supplies, testing, and personal protective equipment (PPE) are readily available and sent a letter requesting that the Trump Administration prioritize working with our trading partners to ensure medical providers can obtain needed equipment quickly. She also sent a letter to the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services calling for the Departments to ensure access to PPE for essential childcare providers. After slamming the Administration for their now-rescinded decision to implement a hard stop at 89 days of duty in late May, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sent a letter to the President, Secretary of Defense, and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator demanding that the National Guard personnel who have been critical in the fight against COVID-19 nationwide receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Noting the unique vulnerability of nursing home residents during this public health emergency, on June 5, Rep. Gabbard called upon Heath and Human Services Secretary Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Verma to address the needs of nursing homes for testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPE), and sufficient staff to respond to the pandemic. In March and early April, she cosponsored H.Res.908, a resolution which draws attention to the increased anti-Asian bigotry being witnessed during the coronavirus crisis and calls on the Federal government to work with state and local law enforcement to confront and prosecute hate crimes related to this. She recently joined her colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) to urge the Administration to make translated materials available on all official federal websites that have information related to COVID-19 and any of the benefits programs created to address this pandemic to ensure that everyone has access to these resources. Securing Emergency Funding On May 15, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted to pass H.R.6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. Though she expressed grave concerns with the massive bill and how it was put together, she supported the legislation because it would provide urgently needed aid to state and local governments to improve testing and tracing efforts as well as another direct stimulus payment to Americans. In particular, the bill provides support to Counties in Hawaii that had not received direct assistance in past emergency legislation. It also closed loopholes and clarified discrepancies in previous emergency funding bills. The HEROES Act would also fund personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases for frontline workers as well as hazard pay to essential and frontline workers. The bill would ensure smaller businesses get relief resources, extends the $600/week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation as well as the Pandemic Extended Unemployment Compensation for gig economy employees. Finally, it included Native Hawaiians in funding provisions for education, employment as contact tracers, mortgage payment assistance, and housing block grants. To date, Congress has passed 5 emergency funding bills that have been signed into law: S.4116, a bill that would extend the Paycheck Protection Program lending deadline from June 30 to August 8 (on July 1) H.R.6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (on March 4) H.R.6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (on March 14) H.R.748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (on March 27) H.R.266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (on April 23) H.R.7010, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (May 28) The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act provided urgently needed, immediate funds to help with the initial impact of the virus on America. Rep. Gabbard voted to pass this bill which included funds for 14 community health centers in Hawaii which received more than $750,000 combined in support. Next, she voted to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide free testing for COVID-19, two weeks of paid sick leave, up to three months paid family and medical leave, unemployment insurance for furloughed workers, food security for those who rely on food stamps, student meals, senior nutrition plans, and food banks, and increase federal Medicaid funds for local, state, tribal and territorial governments and health systems. The CARES Act included direct cash payments to Americans, assistance for those who are out of work due to the outbreak, funding for small businesses, hospitals, and health care workers, and state and local governments. The bill's funding for state and local governments included at least $1.2 billion for Hawaii. Though the bill included Rep. Gabbard's idea for a direct benefit payment to support Americans reeling from the pandemic's impact, it fell short of the full scope suggested in her legislation, H.Res.897, and she urged Congress to do more. In late April, Rep. Gabbard traveled to Washington, D.C. in the middle of the pandemic to vote on the fourth COVID-19 emergency funding bill. While carefully adhering to physical distancing rules and additional health precautions taken by House leadership, she voted to pass the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The bill provided $310 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program including $30 billion set aside for community-based lenders, small banks and credit unions and $30 billion for medium-sized banks and credit unions. The bill also included $50 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and clarifies that small farms are eligible for this funding. Finally, the bill also addressed the continuing public health crisis by providing $75 billion in funding to support hospitals and frontline healthcare workers, including funding for PPE, as well as $25 billion for COVID-19 testing. At the beginning of July, the House passed S.4116, a bill that extended the Paycheck Protection Program lending deadline from June 30 to August 8. The bill was signed into law by the President in the following days. In the weeks following the passage of the CARES Act, Hawaii received over $142 million in emergency funds to help support healthcare providers. This included more than $10 million in additional funds to the 14 community health centers which received funds after the first emergency bill as well as $132 million to other healthcare providers across the State to help cover the costs they are incurring due to the crisis. However, this $132 million came with the stipulation that these healthcare providers may not engage in surprise billing of patients they have treated for COVID-19. Also, Hawaii received over $107 million in funds through the CARES Act to support public transportation systems, community public health infrastructure, and housing for vulnerable communities by way of Federal Transit Authority grants, Community Block Development Grants (CDBGs), and the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program. By mid-April, the CARES Act continued to yield funds for Hawaii, including an estimated $88 million for educational purposes and over $133 million for its airports. The educational funds will help support K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities. This includes a separate fund of $154 million for the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Also in April, FEMA announced another round of disaster relief funds, $100 million available to all 50 States and U.S. Territories. Calls for Preventative Measures In early April, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard called for the resignation of Hawaii Department of Health officials Bruce Anderson and Dr. Sarah Park because of their repeated failures that put the health, lives and well-being of the people of Hawaii at risk. She added that should they refuse to step down, Governor Ige should fire them. In July, with COVID-19 cases once again on the rise and reaching record numbers in several states, including Hawaii, she called on Governor Ige to continue the 14-day quarantine in effect for trans-Pacific travelers. The surge of COVID-19 infections saw a return to hospitals strained to the brink to treat new cases as well as a shortage in testing reagents, personal protective equipment, and medical supplies. The quarantine measure was set to be eased on August 1, but in the days following Rep. Gabbard's statement and concerns raised by Hawaii's Mayors, the Governor decided to keep the protective measures in place through the end of August. About Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is serving her fourth term in the United States House representing Hawaii's Second District, and serves on the House Armed Services and Financial Services Committees. She previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Homeland Security Committee. She was elected to the Honolulu City Council in 2010, and prior to that at age 21, was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. Tulsi Gabbard has served in the Hawaii Army National Guard for over 17 years, is a veteran of two Middle East deployments, and continues to serve as a Major. Learn more about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard... Follow Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on social media: ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |