PHOENIX – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Senator James Lankford (Okla.), the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management Subcommittee of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, called on the Government Accountability Office to examine the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States and provide recommendations to improve America’s preparedness for a future pandemic or public health emergency.
“Strong accountability and oversight of federal coronavirus response efforts helps prevent waste of Arizona taxpayer dollars and prepare us for future public health emergencies,” said Sinema.
“One of Congress’s most valuable oversight tools for ensuring our government can respond efficiently and effectively to future health or other emergencies is taking an introspective look at what worked, what didn’t work, and how we can solve issues proactively instead of reactively,” said Lankford. “I am grateful for Senator Sinema’s ongoing partnership to be sure Congress and federal agencies can employ best practices, fix broken processes to respond to future emergencies, and be prepared for the future.”
Sinema called for oversight of all aspects of the coronavirus crisis, including: pre-existing federal programs to track and mitigate the impact of a global pandemic; the impact of the pandemic on the health, economy, and public and private institutions of the United States; and the effectiveness of federal efforts, including the disbursement of funds and resources, to help those same institutions deal with and recover from the outbreak.
Read Sinema’s full letter HERE.
Sinema recently questioned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in a Senate Banking Committee oversight hearing on CARES Act funding and coronavirus economic relief. Sinema called on the federal government to cut red tape to ensure Arizonans could more easily access the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), and Economic Impact Payments.
Sinema also recently joined a group of her colleagues on a letter to the Vice President raising concerns about the federal government’s current distribution process of critical medical supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.
In the recent Congressionally-approved coronavirus package, Sinema helped secure $310 billion for the PPP loans, $60 billion for smaller, disadvantaged businesses, $60 billion for EIDL and grants, $75 billion for health care providers, and $25 billion for testing, including $11 billion directly to states. Sinema also helped secure a number of priorities in the sweeping coronavirus-response CARES Act law, including a $150 billion relief fund for state, local, and Tribal governments, $55 billion more in investments in hospitals and health care workers, and an increase in unemployment benefits. Sinema also recently wrote an op-ed outlining Arizona needs she is working to include in the next coronavirus-response legislation.
Sinema has also added a resources page to her website, www.sinema.senate.gov/corona, for Arizonans looking for the latest information on coronavirus.
