Sen. Rick Scott to President Trump: Families Need More Information

March 10, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott spoke to President Donald Trump to thank him for stopping travel from Communist China, making sure Americans who want to be tested for Coronavirus are able to, and for making sure insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid waive all co-payments for Coronavirus tests. Senator Scott expressed his concerns to the President about the lack of publicly-released information regarding travel by individuals testing positive for Coronavirus.

 

Senator Rick Scott said, “The health and safety of American families is my focus, and I was glad the President agreed that solving the Coronavirus should be our first priority and will be the best stimulus for the American economy. I expressed my concern over the lack of information available to the public, especially regarding the virus-related deaths in Florida. I am concerned the public doesn’t know all details of the victims’ travel, including which airports they were in or what flights they were on. I have repeatedly asked for this information from the FAA, DHS, CDC and County Health Departments. I urged the President to make this information available for all of the virus-related deaths in the U.S.

 

“Additionally, I urged the President to provide the public with information about what worked and what hasn’t worked in Italy and South Korea’s response to the virus so we can utilize the best practices here. All across the world, Florida is known as a top tourist destination and this virus is affecting our tourism industry. There are countless jobs – especially hourly and tip workers – that depend on people coming to visit our beautiful state. I suggested to the President that while we will need to look at economic actions in response to this crisis, we first have to deal with this virus. Until we fully respond to this virus, we cannot address the many residual impacts it is having on our nation. As I saw dealing with hurricanes, terrorist attacks and the Zika outbreak, a public health crisis is not a partisan debate. Americans expect all of us to come together to find solutions to protect each and every family in our country.”

###