Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on the six-month anniversary of the first reported U.S. case of COVID-19, which was in Snohomish County in her congressional district.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, all of us had hoped we’d be in a better position by this time. Most countries that have been combatting this outbreak as long as we have were able to control it through a coordinated public health strategy that heavily emphasized testing, contact tracing, mask compliance, and other virus prevention tactics. South Korea, which reported its first case the same day as the U.S., has been steadily reporting new cases in the double digits while we recently reported over 70,000 in a single day.

“President Trump has shown he is both unwilling and incapable of addressing this crisis. We have the tools to create a robust national response, but the administration continues to keep its head firmly in the sand, avoiding the fact that 140,000 Americans have died from this virus. This leaves states to face the outbreak alone, in many cases competing against each other for critical supplies.

“We have staved off a worst-case scenario so far because Congress stepped in to provide resources to bolster our health care system and relief to workers, families, and small businesses. But we are approaching a cliff at the end of the month with the $600 per week federal unemployment insurance add on and eviction moratorium set to expire.”

“The House passed the Heroes Act two months ago. It would enhance and extend many of these benefits and provide critical resources to our communities as they respond to the ongoing crisis. The Senate hit ‘pause’ while cases and deaths continued to climb. Most major economists, including the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, agree that Congress must take action to avoid long-term economic damage.

“It’s time the Trump administration takes the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime seriously and for the Senate to reach a deal with the House on the next COVID-19 relief package. People’s lives and economic security are at stake.”

On January 20, a man in Snohomish County, Washington became the first person in the U.S. to test positive for the virus.