Chairman Clyburn Responds to White House Claim Coronavirus Spike “Is No Emergency”

Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2020) Today, Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, issued the following statement after President Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, denied that coronavirus cases are spiking across the country:

"The facts are clear: America has lost more people to the coronavirus than any other nation on earth—and hundreds of Americans are still dying every day. Over the last few days, cases have spiked in at least 21 states. The White House claims this horrendous loss of life is ‘not an emergency,' but the grieving families across our country, frontline workers in our hospitals and nursing homes, and millions of Americans out of work would strongly disagree. The Select Subcommittee has heard from Americans from both political parties and all walks of life who are pleading for federal leadership and a clear national strategy to mitigate further devastation. As deaths continue to climb, the decision to ignore the facts and abdicate responsibility is unacceptable."

Yesterday, an Associated Press analysis of coronavirus data found that new cases had risen over the last seven days in at least 21 states.

Today, Larry Kudlow, the Director of President Trump's National Economic Council, said in a Fox News interview: "I spoke to our health experts at some length last evening. They're saying there is no second spike. Let me repeat that: There is no second spike." He went on to say, "There is no emergency. There is no second wave."

The Select Subcommittee has held bipartisan briefings with health experts, local government officials, and workers, who have called for federal leadership on developing a national plan on testing, tracing, and targeted containment; protecting frontline workers; providing urgent support for local communities; ending the devastation in nursing homes; and ensuring racial equity in the nation's response to this pandemic.

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