Bipartisan group demands House prioritize communities of color in coronavirus relief bill

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Friday called on congressional leaders to prioritize communities of color in funding future coronavirus mitigation efforts.

In a letter to House and Senate Leadership, Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), John Katko (R-N.Y.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the leads on the letter to be sent Monday, asked for increased funding for a series of programs and initiatives that have been shown to improve outcomes for underserved communities.

“Communities of color are often left out of the conversation during times of national emergencies,” said Cárdenas.

“Black and brown people are being hurt the most by the coronavirus pandemic. I am proud that members on both sides of the aisle are putting politics aside to support our most vulnerable and speak out on behalf of those who are often left behind,” he added.

As of Friday, 78 lawmakers have signed the letter, according to the lawmakers organizing it.

In the letter, the bipartisan group acknowledges that communities of color have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

“According to the COVID Racial Data Tracker, Black Americans are dying at nearly two times their national population share. In five of the six counties with the highest death rates from the virus, Black Americans are the largest racial group,” wrote the members in the letter reviewed by The Hill.

“In Arizona, Native American death and case rates are five times their percentage of the state population. In Alaska, the Asian American case rate is two times their population. In the District, Maryland, and Virginia, Latinos are 10 percent of the population, yet make up a third of the COVID-19 cases in the region,” they added.

Democratic leaders of the House’s minority caucuses have successfully pushed their party leadership to support more assistance to these hardest-hit communities, but bipartisan collaboration has essentially died down since the initial volley of economic and health care stimulus bills were passed and signed into law by President Trump.

In the letter, the bipartisan group warns that the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis could ultimately fail if racial and ethnic disparities are not tackled.

“Our response to this pandemic will be insufficient if we do not tackle these disparities directly and prioritize policies in an equitable and just way,” wrote the members.

Among the group’s requests are $75 billion for testing and contact tracing, in order to spot coronavirus flash points in underserved communities; $7.6 billion in emergency funding for health centers, and $69.7 billion over the next five year years; $38.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); $2.1 billion for the Indian Health Service (IHS); and $2.1 billion in additional coronavirus funding for local, state and federal health services.

“While we are grateful for previous funding for testing, public health agencies, Health Centers, IHS, and [SAMHSA], there is still an abundance of unmet need and closing these gaps are critical to suppressing this crisis in our communities,” wrote the members.