Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to Host Telephone Town Hall with Dr. Scott Miscovich Today

US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaiʻi hosts a live telephone town hall this afternoon to provide updates on the national and state response to the coronavirus. She will be joined by Dr. Scott Miscovich, a physician who has been leading COVID-19 response efforts, who will give an update and answer questions about testing in Hawai‘i.

Telephone Town Hall on Coronavirus
Wednesday, April 1, 4 to 5 p.m. HST
Call (888) 476-4187 to participate

Rep. Gabbard and Dr. Miscovich will provide updates and answer live questions from callers. This is the third coronavirus-related live telephone town hall Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has hosted to answer questions about the crisis.

To participate in this telephone town hall, call toll-free (888) 476-4187 at 4 p.m. HST Wednesday, April 1. You can also listen to the town hall live at the following LINK or on Rep. Gabbard’s Facebook page.

Previous telephone town hall events were held on March 18 and March 25.

On March 27, the House passed H.R.748 by voice vote. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, is the third bill passed by Congress as part of its emergency response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes 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 includes at least $1.2 billion for Hawai‘i.

In March, working with Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation, she sent two letters calling on President Trump to Hawai‘i’s request for medical equipment, supplies and resources for the state.

On March 21, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard called for an immediate implementation of a 14-day self-quarantine for all passengers arriving in Hawaiʻi, both visitors and returning residents. The state later announced that a self-quarantine requirement would be implemented on March 26, but Rep. Tulsi Gabbard continued to advocate for an immediate implementation. She also sent a letter calling on the President to issue a minimum two-week, nationwide shelter-in-place order — a proven, effective solution to slowing the spread of the virus

Rep. Gabbard voted to pass the first round of emergency funds to address the novel coronavirus. Some Federal funds are already reaching Hawai‘i. The first coronavirus emergency funding bill that Rep. Gabbard helped pass in Congress has now led to over $750,000 being allocated to 14 community health centers in our district.

Rep. Gabbard voted on March 14 to pass H.R.6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which will 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.

Rep. Gabbard also introduced H.Res. 897, a resolution that would provide an emergency non-taxable Universal Basic Payment of $1,000 per month 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.

As the virus was first spreading in different parts of the world, Rep. Gabbard called on the Trump Administration to suspend flights from South Korea and Japan given the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in these countries, until they can guarantee all passengers will be tested prior to boarding flights to the United States.

In order to ensure that any treatment developed for COVID-19 is accessible and affordable, Rep. Gabbard joined a letter to President Trump demanding that pharmaceutical companies are not issued exclusive licenses for the production of such treatments or capitalize on drugs that have been funded by taxpayer dollars.

Rep. Gabbard also wrote to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar calling for clear guidelines for state and local governments to receive federal reimbursement for the costs they are incurring as part of their response to this public health crisis.