May 08, 2020

Reschenthaler Participates in White House Meeting on Coronavirus Response

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) participated in a White House meeting on the coronavirus response with President Donald Trump. President Trump and members of his administration discussed efforts to address COVID-19 and heard from several Members of Congress about the issues most important to their states and districts.

"In Pennsylvania, we're having a really hard time since Governor Wolf has had such draconian shutdown measures," said Reschenthaler. "We're now number one in unemployment claims but only number five in terms of population. Instead of protecting the most vulnerable in nursing homes, where you had 65% of the deaths if not more in Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf's draconian, one-size-fits all approach lacked any kind of nuance, and it's destroying our economy while at the same time leaving our most vulnerable exposed to the coronavirus."

Pennsylvania implemented one of the most restrictive shutdown orders related to business in the country. While neighboring states continued to allow construction, mining, and automobile sales, Pennsylvanians in these fields and others were applying for unemployment benefits. About 377,000 Pennsylvanians filed unemployment claims during the first week of coronavirus shutdowns, more than twice as many people as in any other state.

Rep. Reschenthaler also thanked President Trump and his administration for their work to hold China accountable and look into the World Health Organization (WHO), which worked with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to cover up the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak. Over the last several weeks, Reschenthaler has worked to investigate China and the WHO's role in the origins and failed response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Yesterday, Reschenthaler was selected by Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on the China Task Force to counter current and future threats from China.

"President Trump continues to show Pennsylvanians he is committed to helping them get through this crisis," said Reschenthaler. "I will continue working with his administration to ensure our nation emerges from COVID-19 stronger than ever."

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