On the recordMarch 5, 2021
I have been doing some research as the ranking member of the Aging Committee. As of last month, 40 percent of COVID-related deaths in this country were residents or staff of long-term care facilities. Lawmakers are charged with the responsibility of protecting the most vulnerable populations in our country, and those numbers represent absolute failure. Some States have underreported deaths in nursing homes, and some public officials made this move intentionally, a clear effort to deceive their populations into thinking the situation was not as dire. Inaccurate information affects life-and-death decisions for communities. Requiring States to provide accurate data is common sense for anyone who believes, as I do, that we should have a science-based, fact-driven response to the pandemic. We should not offer more funding to States that have mismanaged and then covered up their pandemic response. It makes no sense. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
