Today, Reps. Lois Frankel (FL-21) and Francis Rooney (FL-19) led 123 members of Congress in sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to request robust funding for the international response to COVID-19 be included in the next phase of emergency funding.

The letter states in part, “As we were harshly reminded when this pandemic rapidly spread from Wuhan to Washington, infectious disease threats know no borders; as long as the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading anywhere in the world, Americans everywhere are at risk.”

The letter continues, “U.S. global leadership in combating COVID-19 is directly tied to protecting the health, security, and economic interests of all Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of the world today remains underprepared to prevent, detect, and respond to a public health emergency. With over 10 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in more than 180 countries, no matter how successful we are in fighting COVID-19 at home, we will never fully stop its spread – or prevent it from rebounding back to our shores – if we are not also fighting it around the world.”

For full text of the letter and a list of members who signed on, click here.

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