Cárdenas Statement on LAUSD Announcing School Closures
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) releases the following statement following the announcement that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest in the country, will close:
“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our children, LAUSD will close schools to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Our highest priority should be the safety of our children and containing the virus. While I understand that this will be disruptive for Valley families, this was a necessary step to combat the spread of COVID-19 in California. I urge LAUSD to take all the necessary steps to make sure that our students do not fall behind and to make sure that children who rely on school lunches and breakfast for meals continue to have access to food.
“This is not the first time America has faced challenging times, but we always get through them. And we will get through this one, together.”
Yesterday, Congressman Cárdenas introduced legislation to provide free coronavirus testing to uninsured Americans. On Wednesday, Congressman Cárdenas and 42 Members sent a letter to Vice President Pence, the designated lead for the federal government’s coronavirus response, urging the Administration to reconsider its “public charge” rule in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Last week, Congressman Cárdenas introduced H.R. 6019, the bipartisan “Cure the Coronavirus Act,” legislation to encourage the rapid innovation and approval of a treatment to prevent or cure the Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Additionally, Congress approved an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. The emergency supplemental includes:
- More than $3 billion for research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics;
- $2.2 billion in public health funding for prevention, preparedness, and response, $950 million of which is to support state & local health agencies;
- Nearly $1 billion for procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, to support healthcare preparedness and Community Health Centers, and to improve medical surge capacity;
- $1.25 billion to address the coronavirus abroad to help keep Americans safe here at home.
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