John, 

 

          Our community has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, changing many aspects of our day to day lives. This is a pandemic that affects every one of us, so it is going to take every one of us, together, exercising necessary precautions, to combat it. To that end, I wanted to inform you of some of the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of this virus in our community.

 

          Last week, the CARES Act stimulus bill passed. Our area’s most pressing priorities in that bill included support for our hospitals, small businesses and workers, and state and local governments. This assistance was urgently needed. 

 

          Today, the USNS Comfort arrives in New York Harbor. This is a pivotal step to provide needed care, as our local hospitals begin to reach the limits of their treatment capacities. Additionally, the Army Corps just completed a nearly 3000 bed temporary hospital in the Javitz Center and is building temporary hospitals at other locations as well, including Stony Brook. Over 600 Army medics from Fort Campbell, KY and Fort Hood, TX have also been sent to NY. We are so grateful for everyone stepping up from all walks of life to care for their neighbors and fellow Americans.

 

          After working with incoming White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Governor Andrew Cuomo, we were recently able to secure 4,000 additional ventilators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The President also invoked the Defense Production Act to get more ventilators manufactured faster. I will remain in touch directly with the administration in the coming days and weeks to secure even more resources needed for Long Island and our state.

 

          Last week, I was contacted by SoftBank with an incredibly generous offer to purchase and donate 1.4 MILLION n95 masks "to those on the front lines testing, preventing, and treating the spread of the COVID-19 virus in New York." We have more work to do, but every day has been filled with substantial progress. I’m also working around the clock to secure more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep our medical professionals and others safe while they are protecting public health. The $16 billion for PPE in the CARES Act was a big help.

 

          We have a long way to go, but this is a start. We’re New Yorkers, and we will get through this like we always have in the past -- as one community. In the meantime, please remain safe and healthy.

Be well and best wishes,

Lee Zeldin, Member of Congress (NY-01)