At the end of last week, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Xavier Becerra and demanded that the Biden administration prioritize the purchase of American-made COVID-19 test kits and strictly prohibit the purchase of tests made in Communist China.
Scott’s letter comes as HHS prepares to buy 500 million at-home COVID-19 antigen tests.
The letter is below.
Dear Secretary Becerra:
As our nation continues its work to fully reopen and recover from COVID-19, the best way forward for defeating this virus is making sure Americans have adequate prevention and treatment options against this terrible illness. I share the frustrations of public health leaders and the American people at the federal government’s lack of proactive leadership in fighting COVID-19, but I support the administration’s goal of making tests available to anyone who needs one.
As policymakers, our top priority must be ensuring the health and wellbeing of American families, but we cannot allow this work to be done without maintaining our commitment to responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. It is imperative that the federal government do everything in its power to complete our public health mission in a cost-effective manner that prioritizes support for domestic manufacturing. This is especially important in this instance, as we know that at least two widely available COVID-19 antigen tests are manufactured in Communist China and imported into the United States. Given this fact, it is not enough to simply purchase any FDA authorized test.
Every U.S. tax dollar spent must be carefully scrutinized, and it is my expectation that the Biden administration ensures that not a single dollar of taxpayer funding is used to purchase COVID-19 tests manufactured in Communist China. The federal government has a responsibility to support American manufacturers, and we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that it was the Chinese Communist Party that lied about this deadly virus, tried to hide it, and has continuously covered up the origins of COVID-19. Furthermore, we know that every dollar spent on COVID-19 tests manufactured in Communist China goes directly to supporting General Secretary Xi and his genocidal regime.
I ask that you provide an immediate response to this letter with your commitment that the Biden administration will certify that zero American tax dollars will be spent on COVID-19 antigen tests manufactured in Communist China. I also ask that you provide all available details on how this planned purchase of 500 million antigen tests will support U.S. manufacturing and American producers.
I look forward to hearing from you on this important issue and working together to ensure that our fight against COVID-19 both supports American jobs and holds Communist China accountable for the horrific virus it has unleashed on the American people.
Author
